


Dissidia: Septendecim

by 17CaratMonster



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Basically they develop feelings for everyone, Bi-Curiosity, Bisexual Character, Character Development, Comedy, Dino becomes the center of a reverse harem, Drama & Romance, Fantasy, M/M, Polyamory, Slow Romance, The maknae suffers, There will be trigger warnings in some chapters, angst will be heavy at times, i just fucking love final fantasy and seventeen, mainly brotherhood, really unusual crossover, there's smut but it won't be in earlier chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2020-10-25 11:04:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 131,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/17CaratMonster/pseuds/17CaratMonster
Summary: Everytime Seventeen releases an album, their company have made it a tradition to buy them new sets of rings. However, an unlikely incident regarding their new rings have left the thirteen members fighting for their own lives on a separate plane of reality where gods, monsters, and all sorts of powers unimaginable to men exist.The thirteen men are faced with a new problem, one which is deeper than the likes of a dating scandal.





	1. Prologus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol joins one of their managers to order new rings for their new album. However, he's very suspicious of the man who's working there.

"Why are you including me if this was supposed to be a surprise?" Seungcheol groaned. He was at the middle of practicing with the other boys when one of their managers, Younghwan, came unannounced and asked for Seungcheol's presence at a company meeting. Now, he was riding shotgun on the said manager's car, accompanying him in finding a place where they can order thirteen rings, which was a "surprise for your group's hardwork" as the manager called it. "And you know that the others consider this as a tradition since we also got new rings during past full album's promotions. You didn't have to lie."

"Ah, help me out, Cheol. Just this once. I didn't want to bother you, honestly, but your other managers are busy. One's helping with your album preparations by talking with multiple companies to host you on your upcoming live performances and the other's at the showcase venue to manage everything that needs to be done. I know we're all busy but I just need someone since I'm the newest recruit and I kinda forgot to ask them where the company orders your rings." Younghwan glances at the tired boy beside him and gives him a pat on his shoulders. "I'm really sorry, Cheol."

Seungcheol finds it cute, how their newest manager have only been on his job for 3 weeks, but has managed to form a relationship with him that's close enough to call him by his nickname. His lips curl into a small smile as he looks at Younghwan, "Oh c'mon, I wasn't complaining. I just wanted to know why you had to lie. I'm happy to help, hyung, let me just do a quick search." Seungcheol then opened his phone to look for jewelry shops nearby.

"Search? I thought you knew where the company orders your rings?"

"Actually, I thought you wouldn't be surprised that I don't." Seungcheol chuckles. "We're kinda spoiled so it's fun that I'm involved with choosing our rings this time around."

The silence that accompanies them through their drive stretches on for a few hours. Seungcheol hasn't found any jewelry shops with good reviews online. Both of them have tried stopping by at malls to see if there are any jewelry shops but unfortunately, all are unusually closed.

"That's weird, jewelry shops are usually open until midnight, right?" Seungcheol mumbles as they take another tour. Younghwan laughs.

"How long has it been since you went to a jewelry shop? All of them close out early in the evening nowadays to avoid encounters with burglars since most of the bastards are active during late nights." Younghwan huffs out a short breathy laugh. "But it is weird, isn't it? It's still relatively early right now."

"I've been to jewelry shops when I was younger!" Seungcheol grumbles.

"What, like 5 years old kind of young?" Younghwan smirks.

"I- Oh wait, hyung, there's a shop right there!" Seungcheol enthusiastically points to the right, suddenly energetic in finding one shop after spending hours driving around.

Younghwan maneuvers the vehicle to the said direction. Once parked, they both exit the car and make their way to the entrance. Seungcheol notices the shop's name, "Lufenia", all bright in its fairly huge signage. They both proceeded inside and looked at the designs presented in the glass cases.

"Wow, everything in here is just beautiful and classy! Even the interior's nice!" Younghwan exclaims beside Seungcheol, and the younger agrees. The interior is minimally lit without looking too dark, its walls covered in matte black paint and LED lighting running on the corners of the ceilings. Some of the walls are smooth but some parts of it are styled like bricks, arranged in an aesthetically-pleasing manner. The ceiling is littered with different designs of gray-ish glittery paint, forming intricate patterns that sparkle due to the exquisite lighting.

The jewelries were also equally beautiful, maybe even more than the shop's interior, Seungcheol thinks. The chains of the necklaces are beautifully crafted and designed, not to mention that the pendants of the jewelries will literally boost anyone's vanity. The bracelets, earrings, and rings are no different, and Seungcheol thinks that the people behind these jewelries have real talent for crafting beauty, because every material sold inside the shop literally embody glamour and beauty. They're all obviously expensive.

"These things look so beautiful!" Seungcheol exclaims and make an appreciative whistle while looking at the exhibits and designs. "Usually, the jewelries displayed on some shops look cheap and fake. Hell, even some jewelry ads don't look this good!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere but all of these are, indeed, very much real and a craft of hardworking men." A deep voice came behind the counter and both visitors jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of the stranger. Seungcheol noticed that the man's facial features look very far from a native korean, but he spoke the language perfectly. The man sported beautiful, aquamarine eyes and a flowing silver hair. His jawline and nose were sharp, accompanied with fair slanted lips colored in a pinkish hue. Seungcheol knew what a make-up can do to a face, and he knows that this man is bare-faced so it surprised him. To Seungcheol, this man looks unreal.

Seungcheol has a secret, he's easily attracted to good-looking people because he sometimes feel that way to his members (also the reason why he's so secretive). Seungcheol knows a handsome man when he sees one.

"Um, sorry. I was k-kidding." Seungcheol absolutely hates how he stutters and how much he gulps when he's flustered. The worker sends a small smile towards him and Seungcheol swears he's never seen such a beautiful man with perfect teeth.

"We'd like to ask if you're open for custom designs. We want to request 13 rings with these names engraved in each one." Younghwan inches closer to the handsome store-worker and gives him a paper he retrieved on one of his jacket's pockets. The worker examined the paper for a short time and Seungcheol also inched closer beside Younghwan, for no other reason than to accompany their manager (among other personal intentions).

"13 rings for 13 men. Not gonna lie, I thought your offer was for a massive wedding proposal." The stranger chuckles and Seungcheol gulps again. _"He's unbelievably handsome"_ he thinks, but Seungcheol knew better than to look like a crazed person so he put on a massive front, although struggling. "To answer your question, yes. We do accept custom orders, have you already picked a design or would you like to see more designs?"

"Let's see more designs, please. Thank you." Seungcheol hastily spat, earning him a questioning look from Younghwan. The worker simply nodded and went inside one of the store rooms, probably retrieving a pamphlet, Seungcheol thinks.

When the worker was out of ear-shot, Younghwan chuckled, "Wow, you're really obvious." Seungcheol just slapped his arm and stayed quiet.

It wasn't long when the worker came back, but instead of pamphlets, the worker brought out a big wooden box. The object made a soft thud on the glass and the two visitors let out noises of approval when the worker opened it. All rings, ranging from gold, silver, black, and white, had exquisite patterns and astounding details in their surfaces and plating. All of them were beautiful, Seungcheol even mentally made a wild guess that some of it are wedding rings since they are too beautiful an extravagantly designed to be just a friendship ring.

"I'm practically speechless, all of these are beautiful!" Seungcheol happily shoots a glance at the worker who was still holding the box in front of them. Younghwan just nodded in agreement, obviously dazed from the sheer elegance of the rings. "Which do you think will be more suitable as a friendship ring?"

"Friendship ring?" The man gave Seungcheol a skeptical look, then smiled right after. "If you're this dedicated in looking for rings just for the sake of friendship, then you must have a lovely relationship with these 12 other men. How cute." Seungcheol smiled back, and Younghwan was happily watching the scene in front of him.

"Well, I didn't expect you to ask for my opinion but if I am to be completely honest, I'd choose this design." The worker points to a ring situated at the center of the box, a silver ring with beautiful swirls of gold and black. The worker removed it from its case and gave it to Seungcheol, "Here, see it for yourself. This ring is honestly my favorite."

"I can see why. It's so beautiful." Younghwan mutters while he watches Seungcheol fiddle and examine the ring. The latter nods in agreement, "It really is. The others will love this!" Seungcheol gave it back to the worker and for a short second, their fingers touched.

"Okay then, so we're going for this design." The worker put the ring back on its case and closed the huge box. Seungcheol knew that they were done with the design discussions so it's time to move on to the more trivial matter.

The price.

"So, how much do we have to pay?" Seungcheol says, and he snickers silently when he notices Younghwan jerk as he fumbles to reach his purse.

"17." The worker says nonchalantly.

"17 what? 17,000 dollars? That sounds too low." Younghwan looks at Seungcheol for help. "Ah hyung, maybe he means 17,000,000 won."

"But that's too big! But also, understandable." The manager says in a deflating manner, and Seungcheol looks at the worker who was smiling at both of them. "Is it 17,000,000 won? Oh, I know! Maybe it's 17,000 dollars for each ring, right?" The worker just looks at Seungcheol with a smile. "I'm right, aren't I?"

The worker sighs and Seungcheol swears he hears the stranger mutter, "_This world has a lot of obsession with money and it's numbers_." But Seungcheol waves it off, maybe he was just hearing things.

"I meant 17 won." The worker finally speaks and the two men have their mouths and eyes wide open. A series of _you're kidding_ and forced laughters follow and the worker was just smirking.

"I said 17 won, did that look like a joke?" The worker puts on a serious face and the two automatically shut their mouths at the sudden shift of mood inside the store.

"We-we're sorry. We just expected it to be really expensive since it looked....well....expensive. We apologize if we seemed disrespectful." Seungcheol bowed in apology and Younghwan follows.

"No need. We charge really low for our jewelries, you'll find out why." The worker sighs. "But I am serious. The price is 17 won."

Seungcheol is at a loss for words, but what he does is whisper to Younghwan, _"He's probably a scammer, let's not bite._" To which Younghwan nods and quietly says, "_You're probably right._"

"Sorry, it's getting too late now. We'll just think about the offer and get back to you when we make a decision." The manager was terrible at lying and it shows. The worker saw through the lie but instead of getting sour about it, he got more desperate, to which Seungcheol frowned. "What? Why? You both think I'm lying?"

"No, please. We just have to get home-" Seungcheol was cut by the worker before he can finish making up an excuse.

"I'll put in jewels, or gem stones if you want. I'm not lying, you can literally get it for 17 won, I won't charge for the additional gem stones. I'll add anything you like, please." The worker was basically begging, and Seungcheol practically cursed himself on the inside because he's feeling sad for the stranger. it might be due to exhaustion but Seungcheol always was straightforward and merciless towards desperate people, especially strangers.

Until now.

"N-no, you don't have to do that!" Seungcheol went towards the worker, "We'll buy it."

"What?!" Younghwan exclaims, but all Seungcheol could see is the happiness in the stranger's aquamarine eyes as it slowly turned into cute, small crescents.

"Oh, thank you! Thank youso much! You won't regret it!"

* * *

Once all the transactions have been done, and all paperworks on proof of claiming the rings have been signed, the two visitors were ready to leave the store and its enthusiastic yet mysteriously handsome worker. They both exchanged handshakes and bows before heading out, but the worker called Seungcheol before the latter could leave. "Hey, sir!"

"Yes?" Seungcheol turned back with a small smile.

"I promise you won't regret buying from me." The worker smiles, but Seungcheol notices that the worker looks a bit regretful. He decides not to dwell on it. "Well, thank you for being such a kind soul. I hope your shop grows more and rises on the market, you really have great jewelries." He pats the worker with a smile and the stranger returns it. He moves past the glass doors of the shop, the worker following after him, and made his way to the car, but Seungcheol suddenly decides that he probably wants to get to know the stranger a little better, so he turns back.

"I forgot to ask if you have a name, and I..." Seungcheol feels sheepish as the worker smirks, seeming to catch up on Seungcheol's intentions. "I'd like to have your number, please?"

"Maybe next time." The stranger smiles and Seungcheol feels let-down, but his smile never fades. He just took it on as a challenge, thinking that the stranger was playing hard to get. He runs back to the car and shouts, "Next time, I'll definitely know your name!"

"We'll definitely meet next time, Seungcheol."

Seungcheol stopped in his tracks. He turned back, but the worker was nowhere to be seen, only the faint glow of the shop was present outside.

"Cheol, get on the car already." Younghwan calls him, and Seungcheol was reluctant, but gets inside anyway. "You look pale, what happened? Did he reject you?" Youngwhan laughs and Seungcheol playfully shoves him. "I wasn't hitting on him!"

"Yeah, sure." Youghwan snorts and starts driving away from the shop and back to the company building.

Seungcheol looks outside and ponders on the very disturbing fact that he never told the stranger his name. Sure, they gave him a paper with their names, but he didn't specifically tell him which was his. It could've been a wild guess, but choosing the right one out of 13 listed names seems very uncanny.

Yet for some reason, he's sure he heard the stranger clearly.

Too caught up in his thoughts, Seungcheol just closed his eyes and tried his best to sleep. There's an upcoming stress when he comes back because he missed hours of practice and he also has a new source of stress, courtesy of that weird worker from Lufenia.

But he also missed the Lufenia building completely disappearing in thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly live for flirty and giddy Seungcheol. Not to mention their dynamic with their manager!


	2. A New Plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys' rings arrive as promised. But the accessories awaken on the worst place, at the worst time.

A month or so has passed after the jewelry shop event, and the order finally arrived. Today was September, Seungcheol and the others were ecstatic while unboxing the package, emitting noises of satisfaction before moving to the company's practice room to stage a ring ceremony for their Inside Seventeen youtube series.

It was just as they have bargained, beautiful rings with specific colors of gem stones and their names engraved in the rings' interiors, written in both hangul and english characters. Seungcheol surmises that the worker probably really liked him because he noticed that all rings have the numeral "XIII" added as a decoration.

Younghwan and the other staffs were packing up the equipment when a thought came to Seungcheol. They have just finished shooting the ring ceremony and they were rushing out already since it was past midnight and the boys have to go to Mnet for a pre recording of their comeback special.

"Hyung, do you still have the rings' individual boxes?" Seungcheol taps the manager on his arm but the latter visibly jerks. He soon finds out why when the manager faces him with very obvious dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. Seungcheol notices the growing mustache and stubble, too.

"Sorry if I'm too jittery, I just had my 7th coffee...or was it my 8th? I'm not sure." Younghwan does not talk, he croaks. Seungcheol feels a swell of pity for the man, being a manager of Seventeen means taking care of 13 men with specific needs and catering to those one by one. But Younghwan speaks again before he could say words of encouragement.

"Anyways, were you looking for the ring cases?" Seungcheol just nods as Younghwan heads outside the practice room. He badly wants to say anything, but he also knows that Younghwan will dismiss it entirely, reminding Seungcheol that it's his duty as a manager. Seungcheol really wants him to rest, he wants all the staff to take a rest, but it's comeback season, and a full album not to mention. They're gonna crumble to ashes without their staffs.

"I have the utmost respect for that man, seriously. He's the best one we've ever had. God, I hope he doesn't resign." Jihoon comes beside Seungcheol and rests his hands on Seungcheol's hips. "Yeah. They say it's their duty but I feel sad that we are basically the reason they feel so tired." Soonyoung sidles up to the two and rests his chin on the eldest's shoulders.

"Wow, look at us. The leaders finally confessing their love to their staffs and managers." Seungcheol giggles, eliciting the same noises from the two men beside him. The practice door opens again and Younghwan returns with the wooden box that they used in the shooting earlier. Soonyoung also notices that Younghwan has another cup of coffee on his other hand. "Here's the box, Cheol, the cases are inside. Although I'm really confused why you really wanted to see these."

Younghwan manages a smile as he takes another sip of his new coffee. Jihoon winces. "Hyung stop with the coffee, you should just rest. What if you palpitate?"

"Palpitation means nothing if it means you boys can get your names in shining lights. You guys are the only reason I am pushing myself." To that, the three boys have fallen silent, but they weren't the only ones who heard it. Everyone who's in the room has Younghwan as their most favorite person as of now.

Noticing the silence, Younghwan speaks again, "I know you guys don't need another manager giving you those pep talks and shit. I know you're going to pull through this comeback. You boys are going to make everyone proud, and if I hurt myself in the process because of that," Younghwan pauses and looks at everyone in the room, taking in their loving eyes. "...then I'll gladly take one for the team."

No words were needed to describe how everyone felt for Younghwan as all of the boys showered Younghwan with hugs and a little bit of tears. Younghwan wasn't stopping with the coffee, but at least his eyes seemed brighter than before. "Rest up boys, don't worry about your frail manager!" Younghwan casts one last glance at the boys before closing the door, and literally everyone can't wipe off the smiles on their faces.

"If he retires, I'm quitting the industry." One comment from Seungkwan is all it took to bring the members to their knees, uncontrollably spasming their bodies with laughter. "Ah, Boo Seungkwan, you ruined the mood!" Jihoon grumbles, albeit still laughing.

Seungcheol finds himself adoring these kinds of moments. Not that it was rare, but these moments remind him of why he started walking the path of an idol.

He notices the forgotten box at the side of the room and suddenly remembers that he wanted to see the cases. He slides towards it and carefully opened the flaps. He was met with 13 small, black cases where the rings used to rest. He reaches for the one where his name was printed in a rather dashing font. But he also takes notice of the "Obsidian" text printed under his name, also using the same font but smaller in text size. Seungcheol takes his ring off and examines it. His opinion hasn't changed, the ring is still breathtakingly beautiful with a black gem stone at the center of it. The gem stone must be the "Obsidian" since he recalls the term being used to describe black rocks during his science classes way back then. But to be exactly sure, he uses his phone to search images of an obisidian gem stone.

He didn't know why he was surprised when he finds images exactly like the one from his ring.

Seungcheol finds himself examining another case, Jihoon's case to be exact. Jihoon has "Serpentine" printed on his case, so he calls the younger to examine his ring. "Cheol hyung, what are you doing?" Jihoon's sporting an indecisive look, but he was also curious.

"Look here," Seungcheol shows Jihoon his ring case, "There was 'Obsidian' written in my case," Seungcheol replaces his case with Jihoon's, "yours has 'Serpentine' written on it. I did some searching and guess what I found." Seungcheol shows his phone to the very confused member and Seungcheol lifts Jihoon's hand beside his phone, performing a comparison.

"I don't really get what you're implying." Seungcheol senses that Jihoon's losing interest, and then he notices that he lifted the wrong hand. "I'm sorry I meant to show you the ring and these images." Seungcheol tried again, he felt like a jewelry seller, to be honest. "I'm saying that the jewelry shop is the real fricking deal! They used real gem stones on our rings, Jihoon! For 17 won!"

Jihoon's mouth forms an 'o' as realization hit him. He remembers their leader telling them the crazy event once he got to the dorms that night and everyone didn't believe him until Younghwan claimed himself as a witness.

"I still can't actually believe it, hyung. 17 won for these rings? These look too good to be 17 won! Hell, I'd even buy this for a million dollars!" Jihoon fumbles with his ring while speaking and Seungcheol is about to roll over from the cute act.

"You tell me, I'm the one who ordered yet I still can't believe it!" Both of them laughed for a while before Seungcheol called the attention of everyone to discuss about the gem stones on their rings. Everyone looked interested, at least, but Soonyoung, upon the moment he knew that his gem stone was 'Fire Agate' literally exploded with happiness and ran around the room while continuously screaming "KWON FIRE!"

* * *

8 months, Seungcheol recalls. It was now April 2020,and he had never heard of that mysterious man from the jewelry shop, nor he have heard from Lufenia itself. It has been 8 months since his last conversation with the worker. Fear promotions have ended on a high note, the album put their name on the highest thrones in the industry, their fanbase doubled due to the new album and they have successfully maintained their reputation as the nation's best dancers even if they didn't win the Best Dance Performance Award. Everyone knew that they were the real winner, especially after Soonyoung led that anger-infested performance during that night. He could feel the ange and disappointment from everyone even though he was at home, resting due to his anxiety. But all is well, that ends well.

However, Seungcheol still has the man inside the corners of his mind, like an itch wanting to be scratched. He doesn't kmow why it riles him that much, but there's something very haunting in the way he said his name.

_"We'll definitely meet next time, Seungcheol."_

They have just finished a company meeting, Seungcheol makes a mental note to ask Jihoon about the meeting later at the dorms because he couldn't pay attention to what the CEO was talking about. The boys took the elevator to the basement, where their precious trailer car is parked. The elevator ride was mostly silent, with occasional stops when someone needed to get off or on a floor. By the end, it was mostly the 13 of them since there's not much room for passengers in an elevator hosting that many people down to the basement.

They line in front of the trailer as Younghwan counts the boys to see if somebody is missing. Once he knew that they were all present, Younghwan lets the boys in while he and Seungcheol take the front seats, the manager taking the steering wheel. It was a quiet ride, the only noise coming from the members' snores and chill music from Minghao's cellphone, which he hastily connected to the car speakers once he entered the trailer.

"You know, I keep thinking about that guy, hyung. The worker from Lufenia?" Seungcheol starts a conversation to keep their manager company. Driving to their dorm is no easy feat, especially at a time where almost everybody around them is snoring off to dreamland.

Younghwan glances at him shortly before looking back at the road again, "So you were hitting on him?"

"Oh shut up, I didn't even get his number."

"That's even worse." The two men laughed. They added nothing new to the conversation but they both still had smiles. "You know, Cheol, I think this serves as a lesson."

Seungcheol gives him an arch of his eyebrow, "Do elaborate." Younghwan snorts.

"I'm saying, next time you feel the hots for someone, tell them. It's funny yet painful that it has been months since you last saw him yet you never forgot. What's even shocking is that he has that big of an impact to you but you both only met each other during one night." Seungcheol nods in understanding.

" Wow, you really are the best!" Seungcheol sarcastically remarks as he hits Younghwan playfully on his shoulder, earning a slight smack on the arm as revenge. They stayed quiet for a while, the manager doing his best to keep both eyes on the road while Seungcheol admires Seoul's night sky.

The long silence was definitely broken when Mingyu started stirring away from his slumber, "Oh God, who turned on the fucking flashlight!?" Mingyu groaned lazily as he tossed and turned to get back to sleep, Seungcheol also notices the faint glow of light from the back of the trailer and decided not to meddle since he knows anyone can turn off a phone flashlight.

However, the culprit is yet to be found since the light was getting brighter and more of his members are being fussy divas because their sleep was disturbed by Mingyu.

"Mingyu shut the fuck up, we're trying to sleep!" Jeonghan hisses behind Mingyu.

"I will once I kill whoever owns that fucking phone, turn the goddamn flashlight off, it hurts my eyes!"

"Turn the light off, damn it!" Seungkwan manages to croak out while being unmoved from his position.

"Dino, you piece of shit I can see the light from your blanket, turn that phone off!" Mingyu's practically waken up since his eyes are full of murderous intent as he makes his way through the back of the trailer where Chan's body is covered in blankets.

"Everybody calm down, stop being childish." Seungcheol addresses the members with a snicker. Younghwan does the same, "Chan-ah it might be better for you and your members if you turned your phone off for a while."

Mingyu removes the blankets off of Chan's body so fast it almost looked like he ripped the cloth. Mingyu was about to give the youngest the beatdown of his life but when he saw Chan's eyes looking back at him with fear written all over it, all murderous intent was replaced with concern, "Chan, what's going on?"

"I-I don't know, I just woke up because I thought it was my cellphone but....but the rings..." Mingyu notices Chan's left hand clamping around his other, trying to suppress the glow coming from the ring, but it proved to be useless since it was still blinding enough for Mingyu to look at directly.

"Ok Chan, calm down. Just- what the fuck?!" Mingyu's concern was soon replaced with fear and confusion as his ring starts flaring up with light.

"Mingyu what's happening back there?" Seungcheol tried to look behind him but he soon squinted his eyes due to the flash he got from Mingyu and Chan's glowing rings.

"Hyung, what's happening?!" Chan screams from his seat, his voice full of fear.

"Turn it down, idiots! Take a-" Jihoon's complaints were soon drowned as the members' haughty voices filled the entirety of the trailer. One by one, each of their rings started emitting faint glows which gradually got bigger and bigger until everything was covered in white. Seungcheol's ring was the last one to glow but before it did, Seungcheol tried removing the ring from his finger, but unbelievably so, the ring seemed to have latched itself onto his finger because his efforts were futile. Once he saw the slightest spark of light coming from the damned accessory, he quickly clamped his other hand on it. By doing so, he had successfully shielded his eyes from the blinding stream of light.

However, Younghwan's eyes weren't so lucky. 

All he saw was that moment before Seungcheol felt his body jerk into all directions as their vehicle made the most unpleasant noises of metal grating against the asphalt. 

Their car has crashed. 

* * *

Jihoon wasn't sure what happened before he was mercilessly thrown into the air, but that was what it took to wake him up.

What he didn't expect to see were blue skies.

He clearly remembers the events before the ride back home. A company meeting regarding the album sales, future album concepts and discussions about moving into a new dorm. All things considered, they were pretty fine. 

But this...this isn't fine because he remembers it was clearly evening when they were driving to their dorm.

He slowly sits up and finds himself on a wide garden full of wild roses and daffodils. The other patch of the garden were littered with redwood trees and most were just pastures full of green grasses. Jihoon thinks he has never seen such a beautiful scenery before him. 

If only he knew where they were. 

On instinct, Jihoon stood up and started searching for the members. He's not sure if this is a dream or a prank, but he knows deep inside that this is too real to be a prank and a dream at the same time.

After minutes of walking around, Jihoon finds Jisoo unconscious near a river shore. Jihoon has never sprinted so fast in his life, seeing a familiar face on an unfamiliar environment really puts new things onto perspective. He instantly kneels beside the boy and gently taps his cheeks. 

"Jisoo! Hyung, wake up! Can you hear me?" Shortly after, Jisoo fluttered his eyes open, groaning weakly. "Ow, that felt like hell." 

"Oh thank God, you're alive!" Jihoon was enveloping Jisoo into a tight hug and the older winced a bit but returned the hug nonetheless. 

"Do you remember what happened, hyung?"

"Kinda." Jisoo reaches for Jihoon's hand to help himself stand up. "I remember everyone being nosy about a flashlight and luring Mingyu back to sleep." Both boys let out a shaky laugh. "Then, I remember myself floating for some time then my body crashed repeatedly, like I was being yanked."

"I felt that too, hyung." Jihoon slumps, looking down at his feet.

"Where are we?" Jisoo takes a look at his surroundings, taking in the fresh breeze, the blue skies, the comfort of the swaying wild roses and the flying daffodils. Jisoo thinks it's beautiful if only they weren't so clueless about what's happening.

His train of thoughts were broken when he hears a voice bombard his ears. A faint scream was what Jisoo heard first, followed by a loud cry for help.

Jisoo feels a sense of relief when he realizes that he knows the owner of the screaming voice. "It's Seungcheol, I can hear him!" He looks at Jihoon before they sprinted in the direction where they both heard the leader's voices calling them.

They keep running, following where Seungcheol's voice was coming from. Jisoo and Jihoon ran up towards a small hill on the massive space of land before seeing Seungcheol's figure near the slope, tending to Minghao, Jun, and Wonwoo who were all unconscious.

Jisoo was the first to scream Seungcheol's name before they were all running to each other, meeting in a sudden crash. It was hurtful, yet a very relieving hug.

"I'm so glad to see you two! I've never been more glad!" The leader looked intently at the two men in front of him as he held them both, Jisoo on the nape and Jihoon at the waist. "I thought something bad happened to both of you!" Seungcheol's banter was muffled through the hug he was sharing with the two others. 

After a short reunion, the three went to wake up the unconscious members. All three woke up shortly after and another flurry of bone-crushing hugs were given. 

After several minutes of comfortable silence, it was expected for someone to break through and talk about the massive elephant in the room.

"Does any of you know where we are?" Wonwoo asks, and the faces that he meets are all riddled with uncertainty. Wonwoo sighs defeatedly, until Seungcheol clears his throat. 

"I think..." All eyes were on him, he can tell. He doesn't even need to look at them, Seungcheol can feel their gazes. "The rings started flaring all of a sudden, and I don't even know why. Most of you were panicking. I was also panicking because my ring was the last one to light up, and..." Seungcheol pauses and gulps nervously.

"Younghwan's eyes were hit with the light. He lost control of the steering wheel." 

Nobody said a word after that. Not because they didn't know what he meant, nor because they don't believe him. 

In fact, it's at this moment where they all know exactly what he means and they most certainly believe him.

"Are-" Minghao pauses before looking at everyone in the eyes. "Are you implying...that we died?"

Seungcheol doesn't speak. He's in the process of denial.

"No, i-it's not possible! We can't just be..." Jihoon stutters, possibly because he's trying hard not to crumble. "We can't be dead." He spits the words like he doesn't even want to acknowledge it.

"But it explains why we felt the fall." Jisoo interjected. "The yanking sensation, everyone felt that. Don't even try denying it." Jisoo pauses, looking down and seeming to process what's happening. "The car crashed, didn't it?" Jisoo looks at Seungcheol. The leader doesn't say anything. That's all they need to get an answer.

His silence has never been more powerful. 

"I don't care if we're dead or in some kind of afterlife. I want to know why it's only us!" Wonwoo paces around the group. "Mingyu and Chan were the first to have their rings act all weird. Why aren't they here?! Are they in hell? Or maybe they survived? Maybe this is hell!"

The others all shared a look. They know Wonwoo's lapsing into his panic mode. 

"Gentlemen, I see you've been up and about already." An unfamiliar voice joins the fray and everyone looked at the river to see a man walking towards them. 

Seungcheol thinks nothing could be more shocking when he realizes that the man was not making his way through the river, but walking _on_ it.

He's walking above the water.

Minghao inches closer, taking the man's appearance carefully with a squint of his eyes. The man wears a horned helm and he sports a very heavy-looking armor that covers him from the shoulders to his feet. He also notices the khaki cape flowing from the shoulders of his armor and a white skirt accompanies his lower body.

He surmises that this man is clearly not someone who knows modern fashion. Minghao notices that the stranger before them exudes a very powerful aura, and he looks good in his armor, too. But nobody wears that kind of outfit and casually walks in it nowadays. 

"It's time you meet the others at the sanctuary." The unknown man spoke well, too well for Seungcheol's liking. When the stranger gets closer to where they are, practically all of their mouths are open. Everyone automatically went towards him, curiously anticipating to be acquainted with the unfamiliar man.

Everyone except Seungcheol, that is. Because his realization was full-blown to different proportions.

He'll know those aquamarine eyes and silver hair anywhere. 

"You!" Seungcheol points an accusing finger to the unknown man. His members give him shocked expressions, but Seungcheol was far from relenting. 

"What about me?" The unknown man looked at Seungcheol with a bemused expression. 

The leader's fingers shake, anger seething through it. "YOU'RE THAT GUY FROM THE JEWELRY SHOP!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick guide on the members' gem stones:
> 
> Coups - Obsidian  
Wonwoo - Grey Chalcedony  
Mingyu - Black Spinel  
Vernon - Amethyst Geode  
Woozi - Serpentine  
Joshua - Mystic Quartz  
Jeonghan - Rhodolite Garnet  
Seungkwan - Black Opal  
DK - Blue Chalcedony  
Hoshi - Fire Agate  
Jun - Kyanite  
The8 - Lapis Lazuli  
Dino - Boulder Opal


	3. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions are lain, answers are sought, and a decision has to be made.

"I knew there was something wrong with you!" Seungcheol's arms seized the collar of the stranger's armor. He winced at how heavy the metal is, but the thought fades just as quickly as it came because Seungcheol was shaking with pure anger. "Explain everything! What the hell is happening to us and where are the rest of our friends?!"

"I'd appreciate it if you take your hands _off_ of me, sir." The stranger has a stoic and unmoving expression as he looks at Seungcheol. The latter, surprisingly, retracts his hands away from the man.

"I may answer everyone's questions once we're all in the sanctuary. It's not advisable to talk of such important matters out in the open." The stranger looks around warily, then turns his back and walks away. "Lest we get ourselves some uninvited _guests_, it'd be best for the time being that you follow me."

The man reaches out onto nothing, and he opens his hand as a circular plane of light forms itself before him.

"Please, we must depart at once."

"Can you at least tell us where we are?! And am I the only one who's willing to know how the fuck did you do that?!" Seungcheol was practically fuming as he faced his members.

"Hyung, no matter what we do, we don't know anything. I'm sure that this kind man can help us find our way around heaven." Jun speaks for the first time since he woke up, calmly soothing Seungcheol by rubbing his arms.

"How are you so nonchalant about this?! If you haven't forgotten, we just literally died without half of our friends!" Wonwoo hisses, then points towards the unknown man. "He even has magic! Literal magic! How can you be so trusting?!" 

"Gentlemen." The stranger's voice is loud and articulate, making the group turn their heads in a funny, synchronized way. The stranger gestures to the light and stands aside. "After you."

"We're not go-"

"Shut the fuck up and move your ass, Wonwoo." Jihoon is the first one who makes his way beside the stranger, giving him one look before he enters the light.

The others simply followed and Seungcheol has never been more confused. Once everyone, but Seungcheol and Wonwoo, have entered the light. The stranger looked at the two remaining men, waiting for both of them to come.

Wonwoo grunts defeatedly and to Seungcheol's shock, Wonwoo makes his way towards the light.

"Don't tell me you're buying all this shit." Seungcheol grumbles.

"Well, I don't. But we don't exactly have a choice." Wonwoo looks at the light and stands there for a few seconds, possibly because he's weighing his options. "Maybe we are indeed dead, hyung. And if we are, I believe this man can help us." The stranger offers a small smile to Wonwoo before he enters the light and disappears.

"Oh, fuck this-I'm coming." Seungcheol sighs as he makes his way towards the light, giving the unknown man beside him a glare. "I'm still looking for answers, you better deliver!"

The man before him just looks at him patiently. Seungcheol deflates and finally steps into the light. Once it engulfs him, he's floating again. He notices that everything is white, but not blindingly so. He floats around the infinite space for a bit of time until he lands on a puddle. The whiteness of the surroundings fade, and Seungcheol notices that the terrain has somehow shifted, but still unfamiliar. He's not standing on a puddle, but he is walking on water. The entirety of the area is a flat plain filled with still waters, occasionally ripping with every move of Seungcheol's clothed feet. He also notices these strange beams that are suspended in an arch all over the place, they look like the auroras on the south and north poles, only unmoving and fixed on their positions.

"Welcome to the sanctuary." Seungcheol jumps when he notices the stranger that was beside him, along with the others. He also notices that they're all able to walk on water.

"Wow, look! We can walk on water!" Minghao moves around, trying to jump and see if he'll sink. He lets out a slight squeak when he doesn't. Jun joins him after a while, gliding his feet in the surface and seemingly enjoying himself.

"Is this where we meet God?" Jisoo addresses the armored man. Seungcheol weighs his member's words. Most of the people in their group grew up believing in a different form of God, while the other members such as Jihoon and him never really believed in a higher form of omniscient being that governs the afterlife. The stranger looks at him for a while before moving forward on their journey.

"The goddess likes your companions." The stranger quietly says as he walks, but everyone heard him because there's not much noise from where they are. Jihoon is the first one to react.

"They're here?!" The warrior nods and points to something that looks like a throne from afar. It's very beautiful, Seungcheol thinks. The clouds above that area are parted, making it the center of everything within the vicinity. The way the light is secluded on that area makes it look like the throne has its own spotlight. The throne is a low-sitting chair, flanked by two shell-like structures.

Seungcheol also sees 7 familiar figures running towards them, the water rippling on their thunderous footsteps.

"Hyung!" It wasn't long before he was holding a bawling Seungkwan and Chan, all eager to feel their members' presence. Jihoon, Jisoo, Jun, Minghao, and Wonwoo were all drowned in their respective hugs. Seungcheol definitely did not want to cry, but seeing that they were still together even in the afterlife, Seungcheol might just accept his death.

They all exchanged hugs, and before they knew it, all of them were already sharing one big group hug, with casual sniffs and teary smiles.

"They're all here, my lady." The strange man moves forward and kneels.

What they see next, the members were completely awestruck.

There in the throne, a woman stands from where she was seated. She floats towards the stranger and smiles at him. "You have done well, my soldier."

Chan stands up and looks at the woman in front of them. She has long, flowing blonde hair. Emphasis on the flowing because her hair is literally flowing like it was suspended underwater. She wears a veiled tiara on her head, and her nose and lips are the literal epitome of beauty. Her skin is fair, and she wears a halter-neck white dress with ornate golden-crests and blue stones around her waist. A shawl is wrapped in both of her arms, along with golden bracelets and armlets that decorate her fair skin.

"I must apologize, for all of the events that happened in the past hours must be confusing." The goddess speaks again, and everyone is in a trance. The goddess sees the quiet response as a sign to talk again.

"I know all of you live very different lives from the people of this world. You may ask us questions. The warrior and I will answer all of them in the most appropriate way." 

Seungcheol was the first to raise a hand. "I'd like to know where we are and how we got here. We were all in the company trailer when our rings started bursting with light. Then we woke up here before your man came to collect us." Seungcheol pointed to the stranger. "I am also sure that I speak for all of my friends when I say that we want to know the both of you." The other members nodded. 

The goddess smiles, "All of you are very much alive and not in heaven. This is a plane of reality seperate from yours. This world is my domain. I am Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony." Cosmos gestures to the armored man who is now standing beside her. "He is my noble liege. My trusted warrior who has protected me numerous times throughout my lifetime in this world. He's a nameless warrior of light, a perfect paragon and knight to protect me from the creatures that threaten to kill me and end this world."

The warrior bows in front of the 13 members. "I am pleased to meet you all."

The goddess continues her explanation. "The rings are the very reason you are here. You didn't encounter death, you were all just transported to this world because the power that resides within the rings come from me. Doing so allows me to call on their owners for whenever there is a time I may need them."

Jeonghan interrupts the goddess politely, raising a hand. The goddess looks at him and lets him stand. "I'm very sorry but why do you need us? That's the reason why we're here, right? Because you called on to the rings?"

The goddess nods. "Yes, indeed." She looks at the warrior, uncertainty layered on her face. The warrior just gives her a nod, and she sighs.

"Another war is coming." Noises of shock and disbelief can be heard all over as the goddess and the warrior remain quiet.

"You don't understand, you must have got the wrong men! We're not soldiers, we're just..." Jihoon pulls on his hair from frustration. "We're just a bunch of idols. We dance and sing and act like idiots in front of people. We're entertainers! Not some kind of an elite band of warriors like him!" Jihoon points to the warrior, who looks at him with regret.

"We're very sorry, but we didn't have a choice." The warrior replies, in which Seungcheol explodes.

"You had a choice! You personally sold us those rings and I was stupid enough to fall for it!" Seungcheol hates how broken he sounds when he's angry, but he can't stop it. "That was why you were so eager. 17 won, huh? You and your cheap tactics! Why us?! What about all the people we left in our world?! We have families, friends, and very soecial people who might be looking for us right now!"

The warrior and the goddess share a look of understanding. The goddess speaks first. "We are deeply sorry for how inconvenient this must be for all of you. If this comforts you, time moves seperately within different planes of reality. Your world is suspended in time as we speak."

Seeing as the 13 men are all silent while processing the newfound information, the warrior continues. "We're seeking for all of your permission to let us explain ourselves. Please." The goddess looks at the 13 men with guilt. Seungcheol looks at Soonyoung and Jihoon, who both nod at him.

"Let them explain. I personally still have a lot of questions but seeing how they're so guilty and apologetic, this must be something they cannot prevent." Soonyoung speaks beside him. Seungcheol faces the goddess and nods. The woman smiles. 

"The man you met in your world is not my warrior. The man who gave you the rings is The Great Will himself, Cid of the Lufaine. Cid's power is the one overseeing this world." The members gasp, and the goddess surprisingly smiles.

"During the earlier beginnings of this world, Cid had no physical form. He was an invisible power who only had a voice. He tried making a copy of himself that he would will to help me on my duties as a goddess, but he failed every time. Fortunately, he did succeed, and that result was my warrior who's standing before you all. But Cid's memories were not retained by him, so you could say that he's a completely different person from Cid." The goddess looks at the warrior beside him.

"So simply put, he's a copy of Cid minus his memories and powers?" Jisoo asks, and the goddess and the warrior both nod.

"I hope that clears my image of you, Seungcheol, my good sir." The warrior bows, to which Seungcheol got flustered. "No, please, sir. I should be the one who's sorry, you didn't do anything wrong." The warrior smiles at the leader and Seungcheol is really cinfused why he feels giddy all over again.

The goddess continues. "I am also a manikin like him. I was created in the image of Cid's wife. Unlike the warrior, I retained her memories."

This time, Seokmin raises his hand. "You said earlier that there is another war. Were there any wars before? And why is there a war?" 

The goddess smile fades and transforms into a serious look. "Yes. Through time, 13 different conflicts have already took place. This world runs in the energy that is wasted during the wars. I called many warriors to help me win, but before I reigned victorious in the 13th cycle of war, I lost through 12 of them."

The members looked at the goddess in pity, in which the goddess sighs again. However, Wonwoo butts in, not raising a hand and asking a question directly. "So there was someone challenging you? You said you called warriors into this world to help you win. Who were you trying to defeat?" 

Cosmos was silent for a few seconds, before she replies seriously. "The son of Cid, Chaos. He reigns the northern side of this world, he's the God of Discord. He has his own set of warriors that fought with my own throughout the cycles. I only managed to defeat him in the 13th cycle by creating crystals for my 10 champions during that time. One of my subjects is him." The goddess looks at the warrior beside him and nods. 

"It's a part of the natural order that when Chaos or Cosmos dies, their warriors must also die with them. Chaos killed Cosmos in the middle of the 13th cycle because Cosmos was immensely weakened by the crystals." The warrior opened his hand, a spark of blue light ignites on it and transforms into a large blue shard. "This crystal holds a tenth of Cosmos' powers. The crystal revealed itself to us once we proved our enemies of our unwavering will to end the conflict and fight for what we believed in. Unknown to us, they used that knowledge to rile us, to hasten the harvesting of the crystals. Doing so severely weakened Cosmos. Due to her being unable to use her powers, Chaos took the opportunity to kill her. He burned Cosmos alive, and we faded after a while, but Cosmos' crystals were able to resurrect us back into this world to continue fighting. For once, each of us were united in a common cause, we were all fighting to avenge Cosmos."

The members look at the goddess with a swell of pride and respect, except Seungkwan. "How do we even know any of this is true? For all we know you could be the enemies and the true heroes are on the other side of this world."

"Shut up, Seungkwan!" Mingyu slaps the younger on his arm. They end up bickerimg for a short time until the warrior coughs to get the attention of the two. The goddess nods and she continues. 

"I appreciate your honesty, brave man, but Cid has prohibited the inhabitants of this world from lying." The goddess smiles at Seungkwan, who was red from embarrassment. 

"I was dead for a short while, but when my warriors prevailed in the end, Cid intervened. Cid was not allowed to meddle with our affairs, he was just supposed to watch these events without doing anything. But Cid fought his destiny and intervened to help my warriors fight Chaos. He was also the reason why I was resurrected." Cosmos lowers herself into the water and stands beside her warrior, looking at him with determination as she held his hand.

"This is why we need you all. We also thought that the conflicts were over, that Chaos was killed for good. But Cid, The Great Will, has brought us grim news." The members looked at the warrior with bated breath. 

"Chaos is alive. Cid has noticed a great deal of energy amassing from the northern continent, where Chaos reigns. Chaos resurrected himself by calling his past warriors back to this world. However, he didn't need them to fight on his behalf, because he killed them and devoured their life force. He then dissected his body into ten and fused himself with the bodies of his warriors." The warriors voice was full of urgency and fear. But his face remained stoic and unmoving. The goddess faced the 13 members, who are all beyond shocked, their faces painted with horror. 

"The Great Will, knowing this, sealed the land that connects the northern continent to the southern, which is my continent. He surmises that the God of Discord was so furious. His anger so potent that his spirit lingered and turned him feral. Going as far as to fuse himself to 10 different bodies to wage another war. Cid told me that he's willing to help, that he'd go to different dimensions to look for warriors. And now, here you are." Cosmos kneels, the warrior looks at him with utter shock, before deciding to kneel with her as well. 

"I plead to all of you, help us. Help us end this war for good." Cosmos stands up and looks at the 13 men with determination. "I know all of you just want to go back to your homeworld and carry on with your normal lives. I can do that for you all. We need everyone of you, but we need you to decide for yourselves." 

To that, the members turned to each other and argued for a whole hour. 

"Oh come on that doesn't mean that we'll win! Nobody in our team knows how to fight, especially how to kill a fucking god. For all we know, one of us could die in here!" Jihoon practically shouts because by now, they were halved in making an absolute decision. Jisoo, Seungcheol, Mingyu, Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Jun were all set on staying to help the goddess and her warrior. While Minghao, Jihoon, Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Seungkwan, and Hansol can't wait to go back home and forget all of this happened. Only Chan was undecided and both parties are trying their best to sway him.

"You're right, and that's one of the reasons why we should STICK TOGETHER!" Soonyoung shouts back. 

"Yeah, we should stick together and go back home, idiots! Can't you see that this is bigger than us!?" Jeonghan snaps back at the younger, who isn't backing down. 

"Don't you guys want to be a part of something bigger? You guys keep on complaining that you don't wanna be idols anymore because you're losing motivation. Maybe this is it!" Soonyoung beams leaving the other party gaping at him in sheer disbelief. 

Seokmin speaks behind Soonyoung. "Guys, if we don't help them, who knows if that Chaos guy won't hunt us in our own world? He probably knows us by now since the rings have Cosmos' powers and we're in possession of it for such a long time. What's stopping him from following us to Seoul?"

"Then we leave the rings here, simple." Minghao replies, to which his other members nod. 

"Try removing them. I dare you." Seungcheol crosses his arms, challenging the other party. 

Minghao gives them a smug smile as he reaches for his ring and gives it a tug. His smile slowly fades by the time that his ring was still stuck after pulling at it for almost 5 minutes. The others also follow him and Seungcheol was the only one doing nothing. 

"I tried removing them back at the trailer before the portal was activated. But it won't budge. I don't know how." Seungcheol looks at his members. "We can try asking Cosmos." 

"No! If we go back to them they might think we're agreeing to them!" Seungkwan retorts. Chan snorts at them. 

"You know, I was actually looking forward to the time when all six of you would stop being so selfish but seeing as you're all still unchanged and petty, I'll be the one asking the goddess." Chan leaves the fray and walks towards the two foreign beings. The members follow him, Seungkwan's team still trying to convince him. 

"Chan stop being crazy! Do you actually think we stand a chance with a God!? He killed his champions in one sweep, who's to say we won't end up on his dinner table!?" Wonwoo blocks Chan and holds him by his shoulder. 

Chan shouts, "We can defeat him if we're together! Listen to yourselves, the warrior and Cosmos kneeled in front of us. They even made sure that we can decide if we want to help. Don't you care if they end up at his dinner table?!"

Jihoon holds Chan's hands, "Chan, this isn't for us to solve! We're-we're just freaking idols! Artists! We're supposed to make music and make people happy with our music! This is not what our families would want us to do!"

"My family wouldn't want me to leave a world that I could save. My family would urge me to do the right thing, hyung." Chan removes Jihoon's hand from his. They remain unmoving for a while, just holding each other's gazes. 

Seungcheol, seeing that the tension is slowly dissipating, manages to say something. "I think we're all afraid of what might happen to us if we stay in this world. But what about them?" Seungcheol tilts his head towards where Cosmos and her warrior were facing each other, their foreheads touching as the warrior holds the goddess' trembling hands. The others feel sentiment bubbling up their guts, deeply moved by the warrior's display of unwavering support for Cosmos.

Seungcheol continues, "Do you think they don't want to live a quiet life? They've been in war for 13 times, and Cosmos has only won once. In those 12 times, she lost so many warriors. Hell, she even died before, she was burned alive! If I was given a second chance after being burned alive, I'd probably opt for a choice where I won't have to face death again. This situation forces her to face the one who killed her in the past! Yeah, we didn't want this, we've been practically whisked into this just because we needed rings for our album. But Cosmos also didn't want this. That warrior didn't, too. They both didn't have a choice!"

The members, especially the ones who wanted to go home, we're all equally guilty and looking down in shame. Seungcheol and Chan's words have shaken them a great deal. Hansol sighs from the back, and comes up front, speaking for the first time since he came to the sanctuary.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Hansol looks at them and continues on his way. "They're waiting for our answer." The others smile and follow him.

Seungcheol smiles and gestures for the others to follow. He casually slips an arm in Soonyoung's waist and Jihoon's. The latter speaks, "We're not going to ask them on how to remove the rings, are we?"

Soonyoung snorts, "Pretty sure we're way past that discussion after what our leader said." Soonyoung elbows Seungcheol and lets out a small smile.

Jihoon sighs, but he also smiles. "I'm probably going to regret agreeing to you idiots."

Seungcheol ruffles Jihoon's hair. "We can be the greaest bunch of idiots as long as we're together."

Hansol walks towards Cosmos and faces her intently. Cosmos looks at him, and to the 12 men who were all behind Hansol. The warrior beside her speaks. "Have all of you come to a decision?"

Hansol purses his lips, looks at the members behind him, and nods. "Yes. We're willing to fight."

It was the first time they've seen the warrior smile so wide. Cosmos hugged the smiling warrior and then turned to the 13 boys before them. "If I was still in the past times, this wouldn't mean anything to me. But living a second time after being killed had me facing a lot of regrets. One of those was how I was unable to express my gratitude to all the warriors who have fought for me. So I thank all of you now, for giving this world, and me, your protection." Cosmos and the warrior kneels again, and the 13 men all ushered them to stand up, telling them that they don't have to be so patronizing.

"I thank you all. I am eternally grateful for each and everyone of you young men. I entrust you with my will, and hopefully end this cycle of battle with my will deep in your hearts." Bright lights stream from Cosmos' body as she disintegrates.

"WOAH, WAIT WHAT?! IS SHE DEAD!" Hansol panics and the others get affected immediately. The warrior clears his throat to get the attention of them all.

"No, she just does that when she needs to rest. Cosmos is a goddess, if you remember. That was only her physical form." The members' mouths form an 'o' as they nod in understanding. Chan raises his hand, "Yes, Sir Chan?"

Chan gets flustered, "U-um, just...Chan would be uh, nice. Um, I just want to ask if you have seen Cosmos' true form, sir?"

The warrior nods, his face calm. "Yes, Chan. She only shows her true form during the times where the war was on its highest note. As a display of intimidation, and to wreak havoc in the battlefield."

The members stay speechlesss, all in awe that the gentle goddess that they just met can be such a badass on the battlefield. They make a mental note to not underestimate her.

The warrior walks forward and calls forth another portal in front of him. "We need to find a place to camp. I know that you have your own leaders but to ensure everyone's safety, it'd be better if I were to lead."

Seungcheol raisess a hand. He doesn't know why but since everyone just keeps raising their hands whenever they have a question, he just does it instinctively. "Yes, Sir Seungcheol?"

"Uh first, please stop calling us sir. You can just call us by our names. You're probably older than us, sir. Anyways, what I meant to ask was why do we need to find a place to camp? Isn't here enough?"

The warrior frowns, "The sanctuary is not ideal for training."

Jun chokes, "Wait, what? T-training?"

The warrior nods. "Yes, Junhui. We all need to train. You all need to learn how to protect yourself, because time will come where you'll all have to fight for your lives. It's also been a long time since I've fought. I'm probably rusty now, so I need the training, too. " The warrior looks at his hands and frowns, but erases it as he looks at the others. "Besides, we need to distinguish your job classes based on your powers."

They all nod, but freeze as they realize what the warrior just said. 

"WHAT?!" They all said in unison, making the warrior look at them with confusion.

"Don't you want to discover your own powers?" They all shake their head and sigh as they follow the warrior and enter the portal. Jihoon sighs and lags behind.

He's already regretting their decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was such a long chapter! But I enjoyed writing it so I hope you all enjoyed it too!  
I've also said that their gem stones are connected to their powers so comment down below your guesses to what you think the members' powers are!


	4. Training (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys discover their powers with help from their new leader

At the sudden agreement to participate in a battle royale against the foreign goddess' enemies, the boys were guided by the nameless warrior throughout the new world's terrain. The boys grew restless through the exhausting journey to find a "training ground" as their lovely armored leader have said. It hasn't been a day, but walking in the open at midday can be really tiring without rest and refreshments.

Seungkwan, especially, is completely irritable by now.

"You all know I'm never gonna stop asking if are we fucking there yet?" The vocalist grumbles as he lags behind his members, which were all surprisingly compliant although half of them weren't so adamant on going home earlier.

"Deepest apologies, Seungkwan. I plead for you to consider another bout of patience, please. None of the areas around are suitable for releasing your powers." The warrior announces from the front, not even looking at Seungkwan since he's busy scouting the environment around them. At this point, the boys don't even know whether to be annoyed or amazed that their new leader isn't even close to sweating under all that armor, while they were all practically dripping in their casual clothes.

"Kwannie, give it a rest. I'm sure the man knows what he's doing. He knows this world better than us." Hansol holds Seungkwan's hand and gives it a comforting grip, offering the older a smile. Seungkwan wanted to smile back for him, but the heat and his dry throat were too bad to ignore. So he gives Hansol a huff instead, in which the younger giggles at.

Another hour went by and they weren't lucky in looking for a training ground. However, everyone has been silent since Seungkwan's short tantrum, even the vocalist himself was now compliant, Hansol's hand still interlocked with his. Their adventure has led them from grassy plains to a lush forest. However, Seokmin has noticed something weird. 

There were no animals present anywhere.

"Is it just me or are we the only living beings in this world aside from the gods? I literally haven't seen nor heard a single bird in here. Not even squirrels or wild animals." Seokmin states, looking around the woods.

"If anyone of you hasn't forgotten, this world runs on war energy. Since its birth, every fiber of this world has witnessed battles of different caliber. Magic was spilled, swords were clashed. The animals that have inhabited this world were long gone." The warrior paused to face Seokmin who was behind him. "If they aren't already dead, they're probably hidden in their habitats, scared to face a world who has only known conflict."

Seokmin nods, eyes full of understanding and sadness for the animals who were whisked into long years of destruction.

Their moment of calm doesn't last, and they continue on their journey along the woods.

After another set of hours, they have finally found a place suitable for their training. Just outside the woods was the same hill along the river where they were first transported by the rings, and also where they were first found by the nameless warrior.

"Hey, now this is a place I'm familiar with!" Minghao speaks, sporting a grin.

"You know this place?" Chan comes up beside Minghao, who returns a lazy nod. "Yeah, this was where the six of us were transported by the rings."

"Actually it was only you, Wonwoo, Cheol, and Jun who were transported in this place." Jihoon interrupts in front of them, coming to meet the breeze accumulating from the river's shore. "Jisoo and I were transported way over that hill. We just ran here because we heard Cheol screaming."

Jisoo joins them, bringing an arm around Chan's shoulders. "Where were the rest of you though? The six of us met here but you were at the sanctuary first, right?"

Chan nods. "Yeah. We woke up inside the sanctuary. We were actually the reason why the warrior came to you because our sudden appearance alerted both Cosmos and him. They probably realized the situation and they came to us but we were panicking because the six of you were missing."

Jeonghan joins their conversation. "Yeah, Seungkwan was bawling hard." His giggles were soon interrupted by a slap on his arm, courtesy of Seungkwan. A momentary bickering ensues and laughter follows, the thirteen members finally smiling since their entry in the new world.

The warrior clears his throat, gathering the attention of the members. "We'll have our training here. Again, I apologize if everyone has exhausted their patience." The warrior bows, to which the members became flustered and ushered him to stop bowing.

Seungcheol raises a hand, an action that they have come to do when someone has a question. The warrior nods, " Yes, Seungcheol?"

"Why here, though? We passed some plains earlier and I think it's easier to train there since it's spacious and wide." The other members mutter noises of agreement.

The warrior smiles, which makes Seungcheol and the others gulp. It's ridiculous but they notice that the warrior is really handsome when his face lights up like that. They don't know if it's a fact or just their hormones speaking.

"I picked this place because there is enough space for us around the shore and the plains nearby and we can use the area on the feet of the hill to train and camp. Not to mention we'll need sustenance, which the river will gladly provide us." The warrior explains, but the members were sadly not catching up. 

Jun raises his hand. "What sustenance?"

The warrior looks at him for a moment, seeming to weigh whether Jun was sarcastic or really curious. "I-I mean the fish from the river can serve as our food and we can get water to drink..."

The members mouths form an "o", and the warrior just remembers that these men before him are all very young men who know nothing about the things a warrior encounters as an everyday occurrence.

The warrior faces the members and decides that he must make this easier for the boys, who were cruelly involved in a war they had previously no part within.

"Let's set up the camp later. In order to know what kind of training I must commence, we must first identify the powers each of you hold." The warrior slashes his right hand upward and a flash of light shoots from it. When it reaches high enough, it eventually explodes and forms a transparent, dome-shaped barrier encompassing the hill, the river, and the plains around them. The barrier stretches for at least 1 and a half miles. The members were all shouting in awe at the display of magic which were completely new to everyone except the warrior.

"This barrier will serve as a time compressor. Time will continue to flow in here, and everything we do here will affect the environment around us. But once I bring the barrier down, it will be as if nothing ever happened." The warrior looks at each member in their eyes. His voice gradually increasing to rile the enthusiasm of the boys. "So do not hold yourselves back. Embrace your powers, and accept that you must turn your back on whoever or whatever you were in your world. Because in this world, you are soldiers of Cosmos. When I say that you go all out, you will do it, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The boys all said in unison. The warrior smiles and riles up the boys more. "Soldiers! Do you understand!?"

"YES, SIR!" The boys were all screaming, enthusiasm replacing all the wariness and confusion aside, the warrior's message engraved deep inside their minds. Realizing that the moment they entered this world, they weren't idols anymore.

"Soldiers, form your lines. Oldest to my left, youngest to my right." The warrior maintains his commanding tone, although calmer this time. The members obey easily, Seungcheol and the others forming a line from the oldest to the youngest member. Jeonghan frowns internally, suddenly remembering their trainee days. 

"I have noticed that some of you have tried removing your rings. Don't try denying it, I have seen some of you do it inside the sanctuary earlier." At the warrior's words, the members all look at the ground from embarrassment. The warrior maintains his position in front of the boys, and resumes speaking. "You don't need to be embarrassed, I won't blame you for it. However, the rings that you possess now are fused into your soul. In order for all of you to release the magic that the rings hold, they must first bond with it because the purity of your souls will amplify the raw magic and in turn, form a power that adjusts itself to your soul's signature."

Soonyoung raises a hand, "If I'm not interrupting, how would we know if a soul is pure?" The warrior nods and looks at Soonyoung earnestly. 

"All humans are born with pure souls. However, as the mind becomes more conscious of its actions, the soul becomes prone to be corrupted by impurity. The impurest of souls are among Chaos' warriors. Individuals who have committed the vilest forms of acts such as mass extinction of races, genocide, and destruction of worlds." The members shiver, knowing that the enemies that they will face are the causes of a dozen extinction-level events.

"However, do not fret. Because the impurest of souls take the most damage out of a magic fueled by a pure soul. And that brings me to ask this question." The warrior paces around the boys, the tension hanging in the air.

"Who among you are virgins?" The members, although they remain unmoving, have their eyes blown to their widest. Everyone was clearly rattled by the most sudden and out-of-the-blue question someone has ever asked them. No one in South Korean showbiz ever dared to ask them about their sexual lives, not even the tabloids knew about it. And now, a man that they have only met today is asking about their virginities.

Jihoon, as usual, was the first one to react violently. "Excuse me, why do you have to know about that? That's completely private!"

The warrior nods, but still insists. "I know. Everyone is shy when it comes to…sexual topics. However, lust is one of the biggest corruptors of the soul. So I need to know who are still virgins, because virgins are not tainted, meaning that they will probably have the most destructive powers."

Jeonghan throws another question." So does that mean that if we, for example, had sexual experiences, we'll be weaker?"

The warrior answers with ease. "Not exactly. All of you, regardless of your adventures in exploring your sexual health, will still be powerful. However, the pure ones' attacks will deal the most damage out of everyone." The members nod, to which the warrior replies with an earnest look. 

"Now, if all of you have no more questions, then let us get back to where we were. All virgins please raise your hands."

They were still embarrassed, since some of the members do not even know the others' sexual escapades. But since they need the "purity" of their souls in the equation, they have to reveal the cat out of their bags.

Seungcheol, Jisoo, Jihoon, Seungkwan, and Chan raised their hands, although hiding their faces and biting their lips in shame. The other members knew that they were clearly virgins, especially Jisoo and Chan, but what shocked them about the revelation was Seungcheol and Jihoon.

"Are you kidding me? You were always picked as our member who has the best sex appeal! You're always the daddy in fanfics yet you're a virgin?" Jeonghan slaps Seungcheol's side, which earns the younger a glare. "I could say the same to you! You were dubbed as the angel of the group yet you were getting your devil on with other people behind closed doors! And since when did you start reading fanfics!?"

Soonyoung snickers from the side. "I think the most shocking revelation here is that our resident sexy man, Jihoon, is surprisingly a virgin." Jihoon pinches Soonyoung's side. "Says the 'cutest member'. Cutest my ass! You've been spanking butts with what? Your cuteness?"

"Cease that at once." The warrior lets out a loud, yet calm voice that stops the sudden bickering and ushers the members back to their positions. "I admire you all for being brave. Now, for whatever reasons there may be behind your virginities, I'll leave it all up to you to talk about it with your companions. Now, we must move on to our next process. I want you all to surround me."

The members leave their former places and form a circle around the warrior, making sure that they have plenty of space between each other. The warrior continues giving instructions. "Now that you have positioned yourselves, level your hands to your chest and open them as if you're holding an invisible sphere." The warrior opens his hands and curve it in front of each other as if he was holding a ball, while keeping it within the same level of his chest. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on the power inside you." The warrior keeps his eyes closed for a moment and maintains his position. The air around him picks up and forms a shining aura that covers his body. When he opens his eyes, a spark of light gahers and concentrates between the space of his hands. It swirls powerfully, and the air around him is also absorbed into the continuously swirling spark of light that's slowly growing big between his hands.

The members step back as they can practically feel the weight of his powers drawing their bodies in. The warrior grunts, he slowly spreads his hands away and the size of the light fills the space it makes. Then, in a swift motion, he closes the space and clasps his hands together. The light bursts with a force that makes the members stagger in their positions as the light escapes the warrior's clasped hands. 

"What you just saw, is a display of a tenth of the power I possess. I use the power of light to harness energy around me and fuse it to deliver attacks that will stun the enemy and give me an opening to deal another powerful blow enough to destabilize them." The warrior, not even the least bit exhausted, gestures for the members to do the same. "Follow what I just did. I will guide you through it, don't be scared. Let's start with the oldest."

Within moments, and through the warrior's careful guidance, Seungcheol focuses on the power residing on the ring resting on his right hand. He feels it, a dark power, like the darkness of his gem stone. Seungcheol focuses on it, and it feels right. It feels like a part of him, but it's a foreign power. It's something that his body hasn't grown with, but it feels as if his body is adjusting itself to his newfound ability.

He senses the growing power and focuses it on his palm. The dark power of the ring fusing with his soul and accepting its purity as it pours from his hands and gathers between the space. The warrior speaks gently beside him, "Seungcheol, open your eyes. Don't be scared. Witness the glory of your power."

Seungcheol takes his surroundings in, and in his hands lie a growing ball of darkness, shifting its textures momentarily, from dark tendrils of fire, to small whirls of black winds, solidifying into floating black rocks and swirling black water. The darkness grows in size and widens in length. Seungcheol was shocked for a bit, but the warrior holds him steadily, and they make eye contact. The warrior looks at him gently, telling him that it's fine. Seungcheol believes, and the darkness of his hand forms into a black sword. Seungcheol's power dissipates, the dark aura around him thinning. But the sword falls into his hands and it's surprisingly light. He expected it to be much heavier since he knows that swords are made of pure metal.

"Seungcheol, you hold the power of the obsidian gemstone. Obsidian gemstones hold the power of holy darkness, a power so malleable that it follows any order its wielder wills it to follow." The warrior looks at Seungcheol with pride, and Seungcheol feels really surreal. He's still coming to terms with the reality that he has powers. 

He asks a question, "If my power is darkness, doesn't that make me bad? I thought I was pure." The warrior nods, taking the question well. "Your power does not make you bad. As I've said, it's holy darkness. It follows your orders, and now you have your own sword. Holy darkness is a magical power used by knights and paladins in the early eras of war. It's not an evil power, but its malleability allows you to conjure spells and weapons. It only becomes evil if the user decides it to be." Seungcheol takes the warrior's words, his sword resting on his palms. He feels brand new, and he feels a special attachment to this sword he has. He holds it close, the edges not damaging his soft hands.

"Try swinging your sword at me." The warrior goes out of the circle and into the wide expanse of grass behind them. "Keep your distance, Seungcheol. We need to see if the magic is retained in your weapons." His stance changes, as if he's ready to defend himself. Seungcheol is wary, but seeing as the warrior is already on his defense mode, he swings the sword. However, Seungcheol is still inexperienced,so his hold slips and the sword flies out of his hands, landing in front of the warrior's feet. The warrior looks at him and frowns. Seungcheol smiles sheepishly and runs to get his sword in front of the warrior.

As soon as he starts sprinting, his body disappears. A sudden wave of darkness envelopes his body and he closes his eyes. When he opens it, he's lying on his butt in front of the warrior. "I-I what…what the fuck?!" The warrior in front of him looks shocked, but his face is soon plastered with a knowing smile.

"Choi Seungcheol, we're only beginning yet you're proving to be quite skillful." The warrior smiles at him as he helps Seungcheol stand up. 

"Why? What happened? I swear I was way over there with the others, then I somehow ended up here in front of you." Seungcheol said as he chased his breath. Not exactly because he was exhausted but because his shock pulled the air out of his lungs. 

"Seungcheol, your soul is fused with your magic, remember? That's the reason why you can transport yourself through objects you conjure. You can use your objects to warp from one distance to another." The warrior helps Seungcheol get up. 

"I can teleport?" Seungcheol laughs from sheer awe and disbelief of what's happening. He looks at his members and run towards them. "I CAN TELEPORT!" He hugs his members and laugh as the others hug him back. "Wow, this is real! We're supers!"

"Actually, you are the only one who's super right now since you're the first to awaken your power." Jihoon pats his back, but Seungcheol scoops him up in a tight hug, lifting the smaller. Jihoon scoffs but smiles nonetheless.

"Now, now if you'll all calm down. We still have some discovery to do." The warrior gestures for the other members to get back to their positions as he centers himself in the circle again, and looks at the second oldest beside Seungcheol.

"Your turn, Yoon Jeonghan." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, this must be unsatisfying but I noticed as I was typing this that IT WAS GETTING TOO LONG! I'm at 3k words right now and I've only introduced Seungcheol's powers, I still have 12 more! I didn't want to make it too long cause I'm afraid it might bore everyone around the time the chapter ends!
> 
> I'll upload the part 2 tomorrow! Thanks again for taking your time with this fic! This is actually my first time writing a fantasy fic so I'm sorry if it's too slow. I just wanna take my time building relationships, character and also the world itself.


	5. Training (pt. 2)

Jeonghan braces himself and closes his eyes, sensing the foreign energy of the ring seeping inside his body as it fuses within his soul. Pinkish aura surrounds his body as his focus grows. Power surges from the tips of his fingers, accumulating in the space between his hands, forming a rosy sphere of pure energy.

"Jeonghan, try attacking me with the sphere you have formed." The warrior uses his power to materialize a shield on his left arm, using the other to cast temporary shields encasing the rest of the boys. "Don't worry, your friends are protected. Attack with all your might."

Jeonghan nods and pushes the sphere out of his hands. But it deflates and disappears before it strikes the shield of the warrior. Jeonghan frowns, "Why…what happened?" The warrior stares at Jeonghan pensively, picking up on the unbridled frustration of the younger one.

"Calm yourself. You're doing well-" Jeonghan interrupts the warrior, staring down at his hands. "It's because I'm impure, isn't it?"

The warrior masks his previous expression with seriousness. "Don't even try blowing up these things out of proportion, soldier. Believe me, you're doing well, okay?" Jeonghan sighs and stays silent for a moment before he nods. The warrior raises his right hand and emits a beam of light that materializes into a beautiful sword.

"Okay, soldier, since you are unable to use your power to attack, try defending yourself with it." The warrior uses his sword to summon four floating swords, all equally as big as his body. Jeonghan hasn't fully registered what's happening when the warrior points his sword at the younger and the floating projectiles fly with ridiculous speed towards Jeonghan's direction. 

Jisoo presses his hands into the shield covering his body. "Wait, stop! He's not prepared!" 

Jeonghan didn't know what to do other than to hold his hands out in hopes of stopping the swords. He expected excruciating pain, but his power surges and comes out to meet the warrior's attack. His power forms a force field that doesn't deflect the warrior's swords, but absorbs it. The rosy hue of his power encases the sword in a pinkish glow and completely dissolves it. The force field disappears and transforms into four rosy swords which are now encircling Jeonghan's body.

The warrior smiles at Jeonghan encouragingly, and the younger returns it, although he's still confused about what's happening. "What's this? How did I-"

"You didn't only repel my attack, Jeonghan. You perfectly copied it." The warrior's sword and shield disappear in a flash of light and he erases the shields that hold the members. Jeonghan touches one of the swords encircling him and it dissolves, swirling back inside his body. The other swords also do the same thing, and Jeonghan feels giddy.

The warrior gives him a reassuring look. "You are something between a mage and a mime, Jeonghan. Garnet gemstones are very commonly used in forging mages' weapons because of their immensely defensive capabilities. Your power allows you to form highly repellent barriers and force fields that copies any form of power that touches it, and the rhodolite property of the gem stone gives your power its pinkish color. However, it doesn't stop there, because you can use your power to turn the tide on the battlefield by using your enemies' strengths against them. As of now, your power is the most balanced, Jeonghan. The perfect offense and defense to even out the odds." Jeonghan smiles back and feels a blush creeping on his cheeks.

* * *

Jisoo's power easily pours out when the multicolored aura of mystic quartz oozes from his body. Colorful rays of light accumulate between the small distance created by his hands. However, Jisoo does not only bring out his powers, because he was also floating. With eyes closed, he feels the energy lifting him up as the lights on his hands turn brighter and heavier.

But when Jisoo opens his eyes, he immediately comes back on land and his power retreats. The warrior pats him on his shoulder and encourages him. "Don't fret, Jisoo. Keep on going, you're doing an excellent job."

Jisoo focuses again on the power from his ring, and brings it out to his palm. Bright, hot lights in various colors dim the surroundings. Jisoo looks like a literal holy angel floating around with huge halos of light coming from his hands. However, Jisoo kept his eyes open this time. He controls his breathing and steadies his floating body. His inexperience was noticeable since he was awkwardly going out of balance at times, but he held himself properly by using his focus to concentrate the growing power on his hands. The rest of the members had their mouths open at how majestic Jisoo looks.

The halos of light in Jisoo's hands transform into seven multicolored lights that twirl around Jisoo's body. His hands sway and the lights follow every whim of it. Overjoyed at the beauty of his powers, Jisoo laughs and tries flying over his members, the lights dancing around every turn and flip of his body. Still, he hasn't mastered anything, that's why he finds himself stumbling in the soft patch of grass around them. But Jisoo was still laughing as he fell down, not even sporting a single scratch on his face, but there lies a rather attractive smile which the warrior finds infectious since he didn't even realize he was smiling, too.

The warrior helps Jisoo stand up and starts explaining his powers to the very hyper member. "Hong Jisoo, you are a bearer of light like me. However, the differences in our powers are vast. While I use the light to harness this world's energy, the mystic quartz gem stone gives you dominion over the seven destructive beams of ancient magic. Red, orange, and yellow are the most effective to use in battle. Red beams can inflict burn, orange beams explode whatever they touch, and yellow beams cause temporary blindness. Green beams on the other hand, contains healing properties, blue beams induce sleep to your enemies, indigo beams will cast your enemy in a state of confusion, and violet beams emit poison."

" Wow, that's so cool!" Jisoo, on the peak of his excitement, stumbles again while skipping back to his original position. "I can fly, too!" The members laugh as they witness the usually calm Jisoo make a mess of himself, though it's a mess they all love.

* * *

"Am I doing this right?" Jun feels a strange pulling force materializing on his hands as his gem stone, kyanite, fuses with his soul and emits a bluish hue of aura around him.

"Keep going, Junhui. You're progressing very well." The warrior looks towards the young man earnestly, looking for the slightest changes in their surroundings and keeping track of Jun's power signature.

Jun suddenly feels a serene, soothing current seeking to release itself from his fingertips. A sphere of water forms inside his hands, some droplets occasionally dancing around his fingertips. It is an understatement to say that Jun is amazed, since his attention was completely taken by the ball of water he had just created.

"Junhui, wait!" The warrior calls on to his power, planning to cast a protective shield around the others and rushing towards Jun to stop. However, the warrior was one beat too late as Jun pokes the sphere, and it explodes violently. In a matter of seconds, a massive wave of water completely floods their terrain. The warrior and the others were left unprotected from the sudden burst of Jun's power. All of them were drenched and sucked into the waves, except Junhui who was being completely avoided by the water. The space around him was completely dry, as if the water was afraid to touch him. With the warrior underwater, Jun was left with no one to guide him on using his powers. He was panicking, but Jun knew better than to let his fear set his critical thinking aside.

He raises both of his hands in front of him and the water follows it. The violent thrashing ceases as Jun directs the flood towards him. He gathers it inside his hands until it was reduced to a single droplet, swirling on his palm. The situation was amended due to Jun's assessment. He smiles, finding pride in taking care of everything without the warrior's guide. However, the rest of them were left chasing their breaths as they remain crouched, clothes wet and hair sticking to their faces. The warrior stands up, looking very disheveled and out of sorts.

"Excellent...control...of the situation…Junhui." The warrior states under labored breathing, and Junhui comes up to him and the others, regret washing over his features. 

"I'm really sorry, I was too reckless!" Jun bows repeatedly and holds an arm towards the others, absorbing the water from their hair and clothes. The display of control left the warrior astonished and the others confused whether they'd be annoyed or awed.

The warrior blinks for a moment before he masks his expression and addresses Jun. "Junhui, you are an elementalist mage, and your gem stone gives you the power to control water. The kyanite is well-known as it once hosted the legendary monster of the seas, Leviathan. With its power fused into your soul, you are a worthy bearer of one of the four elements." He pauses for a moment and breathes, the rest of them shocked to see their calm and stoic warrior so breathless and exhausted. "Although, I must say, that display of control over your powers was entirely splendid. Just be careful next time, soldier. You need to remember that your element is a versatile one. What seems like a calming flow of water can turn into a catastrophic deluge in your command." Jun nods and goes back to his position on the circle.

* * *

Soonyoung, at the very _ very _least, is not too fond of the idea of activating his powers as opposed to how he reacted when he received his gem stone. The small tendril of fire that came from his fingertips sent him into a screaming frenzy. The warrior stays beside him and tries to calm the dancer down, but Soonyoung wasn't relenting. So imagine how chaotic everything went when his ring picked up on his panic and started streaming fire around his body to protect him. Soonyoung misunderstood everything, screaming for bloody help as he ran everywhere. 

Even worse, they suddenly remember that they were on a terrain filled with _ grass _. 

In a matter of seconds, everything was burning. It was literal hell for the warrior as the others have completely lapsed into a crazed state, some of them running towards Soonyoung while the others running away from the growing grassfire. He knows he has the power to stop this disastrous training, but Cosmos completely trusts him with the boys. A goddess' trust is very hard to obtain, so he sighs one more time before walking towards Jun. 

"Junhui, use your power." Jun, seeming to have his critical thinking skills affected by his members' hysteria, stutters and ends up looking at the warrior with wide eyes.

The warrior sighs again, he knows it's gonna be a long day.

"Soldier, don't tell me you've forgotten what your power is." At the soldier's serious expression, Jun snaps out of his panic and nods. Gulping, Jun shakily reaches his hand at the river not too far from them, willing its waters to lend a hand in their situation. The river shoots up jets of water into the air and Jun guides it to encircle Soonyoung, who was still screaming. He gently rinses the fire off of the younger, taking care of the source of all the ruckus. After that, he maneuvers the waters around the terrain and spreads it evenly throughout the grasses to dissipate the scattered fire Soonyoung caused. Once everything was in order, Jun guides the streams of water around them back to the river, but he keeps an ample amount on his hands and throws it at Soonyoung's face. "Nicely done, asshole, you nearly burned us."

The water slaps Soonyoung, wetting his whole head. Jun glares at him, not adamant on absorbing the water back like he did earlier on their clothes. Soonyoung calms down and he looks down with shame. "I-I'm…sorry. I know I suck." The others only glare at him but they can't entirely blame him since he is still inexperienced and he didn't intend for all of _ that _ to happen.

Part of them blames themselves for panicking first before acting but they're sure they're never gonna let Soonyoung know that.

"Once again, Junhui displays great control of his powers. Thank you, Junhui for handling the situation." The warrior says, and Seungcheol has never felt smaller. He was supposed to be their leader, yet Junhui was doing a better job at handling these situations.

The warrior pats Soonyoung and smiles at him. "You don't suck. You're just inexperienced, that's all. You are an elementalist mage like Junhui, and you control the infernal power of fire. Fire agates are imbued with the undying spirit of the phoenix, the legendary firebird. Your power is the most destructive, but you can also will it to repair and heal wounds." The warrior ruffles Soonyoung's hair. The action was something he's not used to doing, but Soonyoung makes it hard for him to resist, especially when he's pouting like that. The younger looks up, surprised but not entirely complaining. The warrior makes eye contact with him and smiles. "I'll help turn you into a phoenix in no time."

Soonyoung giggles, and he finds it confusing how hot his face is. Maybe because of his power, or maybe because of the man in front of him.

* * *

Wonwoo jumps slightly when he sees rods of metal protruding from his palm. It breaks down into tiny threads, overlapping at each other, before solidifying themselves into a huge metallic ball. His ring keeps on pushing his power out, palms releasing more threads of metal that encircle the ball he had materialized. Wonwoo cautiously tries to grab the ball, but at the slightest touch, the metal breaks again into cubes that surround him. Wonwoo exhales and smiles. "Are these metal?"

The warrior steps in front of him. "Grey chalcedony are gem stones used by blacksmiths as fusing material to keep their weapons sharp for a great amount of time. Grey chalcedony, like obsidian gem stones, are very malleable in terms of their power. You, Jeon Wonwoo, have the impregnable power of metal. With its malleable properties, you hold creation itself on your hands." Wonwoo smiles as the cubes pulverize themselves and go inside his body. He suddenly gasps and falls down as the metal slowly invade his insides. He closes his eyes and grunts as he was practically on all fours, chasing his breath.

The warrior and the others surround Wonwoo, Mingyu was the first one to touch his face and ask him if he feels okay. Wonwoo calms down and nods, slowly standing up with Mingyu carefully assisting him. "What happened? Does it hurt?" Mingyu asks beside him, but the older just shakes his head. "It's fine, Gyu. It felt…good, but why did it feel like that? It was so overwhelming." Wonwoo turns to the warrior.

"When your powers activate, they share a part of you since they are fused in your soul. So when it stores an unused power back in your bodies, the emotion that you felt when you released those will rush back tenfold. You were probably in a state of euphoria when you released your powers so it stimulated you when they went back inside."

Wonwoo frowns. "That's odd." The warrior grins back, "Everything about this is odd."

* * *

Jihoon's power pours down on everyone, covering the surroundings with a greenish aura similar from the color of his gem stone. His aura was flaring up, slowly forming a gale around his body. Jihoon starts panicking when the gale hits him and his skin starts growing fur.

"What's this?! What's happening-ah!" Jihoon doubles in pain as his bones start cracking and rearranging themselves inside him. He feels every nerve spark with hurt as his body grows larger and the fur decorates his skin. Jihoon lets out a scream, a very inhuman scream, as his bones continue cracking and rebuilding themselves. The warrior waits, unmoving, while the others look at him and plead to help the composer. The 12 boys are a crying mess as they see their beloved member twist and turn with violence inside his aura. 

"Help him! Please, make it stop!" Seungcheol grabs the shoulders of the warrior, who looks at him with a stoic expression. "His powers are activating, you need to wait." Seungcheol was dumbfounded and angry at how nonchalant the warrior is. He was about to activate his power when a loud roar pierces his ears. He covers them and turns back, to see something so beautiful yet so dangerous.

Where Jihoon once was, a huge lion with piercing green eyes was looking back at him. He comes forward and kneels, cautiously threading his hand to the lion's beautiful mane. The lion jerks his head away, but Seungcheol calms him down. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." The lion looks at him for a moment, and nudges his hands, rubbing his head under it. Seungcheol chuckles and peppers the lion with soft and loving touches. The lion purrs at him and closes his eyes.

"Jihoon?" Seungcheol calls, and the lion looks at him. "Jihoon, can you hear me? Is it really you?" The lion nods his head, seeming to understand everything Seungcheol was saying. Seungcheol smiles and looks at his members, "He's fine! Jihoon's fine!" Seungcheol hugs Jihoon, his arms encircling the lion's head, and Jihoon's whiskers perk as he smiles at the older. The warrior makes his way towards Jihoon, and the lion stands up on all fours. "Lee Jihoon, a shapeshifter like I expected. Your gem stone, the serpentine, was used by beastmasters as a summonstone to host their familiars. You have a variety of transformations to discover for yourself, and yes, it will be excruciatingly painful everytime. But in your beast forms, you will be invulnerable to all kinds of physical and magical harm because your beasts' physical form will serve as your armor. As of now, you hold the most powerful offensive power." The warrior reaches for the lion's face and strokes it gently. "But before we explore your other transformations, you must learn how to transform yourself back to your human form." Jihoon nods, and for a lion, Seungcheol thinks he's very cute.

The warrior reaches behind his armor and removes his khaki cape. "Think deep, Jihoon. Remember your human form. Every feature you remember must be accurate. Do not think of inaccuracies to your body, or you may transform into a mutated beast. Just a reminder, they are very hideous and the transformation will subject you through hellish pain. Understood?" Jihoon nods and closes his eyes, thinking about his small height yet bulky frame. He used to be small in all aspects physically: small height, small frame, small face. But he tried working out and surprisingly, it was good for his growing laziness and frustrations. He was happier, he was content, and he considered himself a new man.

Jihoon thinks deep, and it wasn't long before his power spikes again. The green aura covers his large build, from his tail to his mane. His body curls and he lets out a loud roar before he becomes smaller and smaller. When his aura fades, he was back to his normal self. Seungcheol was about to sprint towards him, when an armored arm blocks him. The warrior looks, "I'll take care of him."

Before Seungcheol can say something, the warrior was already running towards Jihoon. Seungcheol suddenly feels very hot and his mouth falls as he understands the reason why the warrior stopped him. 

Jihoon was lying on the grass, and he's very _ very _naked.

Jihoon sits up, the muscles on his arms and back flexing as he stretches himself. He was about to stand up when the warrior comes in front of him and drapes Jihoon's body under his cape. He frowns, and the warrior was weirdly not looking at him. "I'm sorry but you are very…_ exposed _ right now, Lee Jihoon." Jihoon's eyes widen and he looks down.

Jihoon has never screamed louder in his entire life.

* * *

Seokmin, the warrior thinks, must be his most favorite soldier ever.

Seokmin was jolly, and it shows especially when his power activates. A snowball forms inside his hands, and his aura was a soft hue of blue with snowflakes trailing it. Seokmin was laughing heartily when he plays with the snowball that was forming on his hands. He throws it upward and it explodes like a firework, the snow falling to their hair and clothes. Seokmin plays with his powers, but he was responsible. He runs towards the river and steps on it, the water solidifying into ice under his shoes. He laughs and looks at the others, who followed him and are now watching with smiles on the shore. "Look! I feel like I'm Elsa!" 

The river turns into a skating rink as Seokmin runs around, gliding through the ice effortlessly without skating shoes. He gathers his power in both of his hands and directs it at his feet as he jumps and glides through the air using his ice magic. He looks like a professional snowboarder as he rides the ice, smiling widely as he sings _ Let It Go _, to which the members cringe hard.

He comes back down, still smiling. But the place has become too cold, courtesy of all the ice he spouted when he was gliding. Jihoon was shivering under the warrior's cape and all of their breaths are now very visible due to the sudden shift in the temperature in their surroundings. Seokmin notices this and waves his hands. The ice breaks down and transforms into water, and the river returns to normal. He waves the snowflakes and they disappear into thin air. The warrior comes beside him, "Great work, Seokmin. However, it has become too cold here. Soonyoung, if you'd be so kind, can you turn the heat up?" Soonyoung obliges, a smirk evident on his face as he cracks his knuckles. "Oh I can turn it up real good." Jun's smile fades and he activates his power, to which Soonyoung glares. "What? I'm just being careful, Soonie."

Soonyoung rolls his eyes as his hands curl up into fists and burn up. He shoots a fireball up in the air, and when it's high enough, he opens his hands and the fire expands. He makes a spreading motion with his hands and the fire covers the whole atmosphere, dissipating thinly as it delivers heat back to the terrain. He puts his arms down and the fire disappear completely. He turns back and smirks at Jun. "Told ya." The older rolls his eyes and throws the sphere of water he had created towards the river.

The warrior turns back to Seokmin and gives him a thumbs up. "That was nice. You handled yourself well. You didn't have any mishaps in your first try. The gem stone must be enjoying its fusion with your soul. However, you must also be very careful of your emotions. The blue chalcedony holds the power of the ice goddess, Shiva. You govern over ice and snow, which are very versatile elements. You can do both good and bad with your powers, Seokmin. However, your gem stone is not to be compared with grey chalcedony, since they only belong to the same family of gem stones but are not connected in any possible way." Seokmin beams and goes back to the circle giddily. He smiles at Wonwoo, who was also smiling back at him. "I like how we have matching gem stones." Wonwoo says, and Seokmin gives him a high five. "It's like destiny. Chalcedony bros, woohoo!" Seokmin and Wonwoo share a hug as they laugh.

Soonyoung and Mingyu, on the other hand, is eyeing them from where they are as they feel a strange prickling feeling inside them, especially on their chests.

* * *

On Mingyu's turn, his aura was a different shade of black, courtesy of the black spinel on his ring. While it was not as dark as Seungcheol's, he was still scared of what kind of power he could have.

He concentrates hard and his aura charges up. Inside his hands, a dark matter forms. It scatters into multiple pieces and circles around Mingyu. He opens his eyes as the dark matter materializes themselves, forming a variety of weapons. Each was different from the other. There were throwing knives, swords, longswords, halberds, axes, spears, guns, bows and arrows. There are even weird combinations, like gunblades. Mingyu reaches at a very huge sword that was on his left. He holds it and he expects it to be heavy, but it feels surprisingly light. He gives it a swing, but he ends up forming a strong gust of wind, throwing the warrior, who was standing in front of him, backwards. The warrior stays on his feet despite the strong blow, and Mingyu drops the sword to apologize to the kneeling warrior. The older man shrugs and tells him it's fine, but Mingyu still felt bad. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's fine. Just…look behind you." Mingyu looks and sees that his weapons have followed him, all floating steadily behind. He waves, thinking that he could shoo them away, but his weapons attack at the direction he swayed his hand. Minghao, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan were all positioned on that direction, so the weapons all fling towards them. They still haven't activated their powers, so they all froze with fear. However, Wonwoo was way ahead. He slams his palms to the ground and a huge metal wall appears in front of the four youngest. The weapons strike the wall, some pierced it while the others were successfully deflected. Mingyu makes a pulling motion and calls his weapons back. It floats towards him and transforms back into small dark matters before they go back inside Mingyu. He feels a burning sensation inside that makes him crouch in pain. He grunts, remembering that he was scared when he activated his power, so now that they're all coming back to him tenfold, his fear was lethal and violent.

Wonwoo runs to him this time and puts a comforting arm on his shoulder as he helped the younger stand up. Mingyu speaks, "I…I felt what you felt, too. The emotions thingy?" Wonwoo just nods, and looks at the warrior. "Does that happen to all of us?" 

"Yes." The warrior answers. "So all of you need to be careful in releasing your powers. Only release what you are going to use. Since this is only a training, I wanted everyone to go all out since I can take care of you all. But on the battlefield, remember to be cautious and assess the situation first before diving directly. Understand?" The rest of them nod. "With that being said, Wonwoo used the only fraction of power he needed to protect his four companions. Excellent work, soldier." Wonwoo smiles, pats Mingyu on the arm and walks back to the circle, dismantling the metal wall in the process. Mingyu looks at the four members he had put in danger, and mouths an apology towards them. The four only scoff and roll their eyes, but Minghao feels generous and gives him a middle finger.

The warrior speaks. "You are a weaponsmaster, Mingyu. The black spinel gives you control of the weapons once used by the warriors who walked this planet with me during the past conflicts. I can say so because I recognize the weapons you have in your roster and I also know the weapon you used earlier. Black spinels are often used by magic knights for weapon mastery, so it also gives you the power to professionally use every weapon you touch, even the ones that are already owned. Your skills, once mastered, is to be feared by anyone who dares to challenge you."

Mingyu gulps, taking the information. Even he was scared of the powers he possess, and the responsibility he has on wielding them. He opens his hand and takes hold of the huge sword he used. He looks at it, and he's surprised by how well he knows how to use it. He lets go of the sword and it disintegrates back inside him, but he doesn't feel pain anymore.

* * *

"Minghao, steady! You're doing great!" Jisoo and the others cheer their member as he flips and flails in the air.

"I don't feel so great, though!" Minghao screams as the wind yanks him in multiple directions. His lapis lazuli gave him a beautiful, bluish aura when he activated it. But as soon as the slightest gust of wind materialized in his hands, the wind around them got attracted to Minghao, hugging his body and lifting him up high. The winds loved him, but Minghao really doesn't feel loved at the moment.

"SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEE!" Minghao's screams pick up when his winds grow hastier, sensing the panic within the boy. The other members are at a dilemma because they don't know if they'll feel sorry for Minghao, or laugh at him.

The warrior calls Minghao's attention. "Soldier, your winds are being violent because they sense your panic! Keep calm, they will be gentler!" Minghao hears this, and closes his eyes to keep himself sane while he tumbles. He takes a deep breath and connects himself with the energy that his gem stone is fusing with his soul. He revels in it, the bluish hue comforting him. He wills himself to calm down, repeating it internally like a mantra. His power senses his calm, and the winds stop yanking him. Minghao stays suspended in the air, the winds lift his body steadily. When he opens his eyes, he's slowly going down on the ground.

As he steps down to the grasses, Minghao lets out a huge breath of relief, but his breath transforms into a strong gale that throws everyone back except him. His eyes widen, and he tends to Jihoon first. He uses his powers to bring the khaki fabric into his hands and drapes it over Jihoon's body, looking away from his stark nakedness to respect the older. He uses the winds around them to help the others stand up, while he uses his hands in helping the ones near him.

Mingyu reaches for his hand, but Minghao smirks and gives him a flick, the wind flipping Mingyu's body onto the ground. Mingyu groans, and the younger male laughs heartily, but he still helps him get back up. Mingyu whispers, "Asshole." and Minghao laughs harder. "Well, you nearly got me killed earlier, so…" He gives Mingyu a shrug and the older finally smiles back.

"We have another elementalist mage. Color me fascinated." The warrior exclaims. "Your lapis lazuli is a conduit for the winds of the universe. One wave of your hand can summon the most devastating current of air to rattle the battlefield. The lapis lazuli is one of the most prized possessions of summoners, since it came from the feathers of the greatest sky dragon, Bahamut himself. Not only you are powerful, but very lucky to be accepted by the gem stone itself, since your gem stone had its record of ailments that it inflicted upon its rejected users. Consider yourself powerful and worthy."

Minghao feels confused, but he definitely feels proud. Being accepted by a gem stone that came from a dragon? Now that's something he didn't knew he ever needed to accomplish. He'll add that, and check it immediately, on his bucket list.

* * *

Seungkwan was by far the noisiest out of the bunch. Soonyoung was noisy with all the screaming, but it was mostly chaotic. Seungkwan, on the other hand, felt the urge to narrate every little thing happening. 

"Oh my, I feel it. Oh gosh I feel it!" His eyes widen when the multicolored aura of his black opal surrounds his body. His hair strands get lifted slowly, sparks of lightning forming in his fingers and body. He looks at his hands, in awe of how the lightning doesn't burn his skin.

"This...wow, oh god, this is awesome!" He stays unmoving, remembering how his other members activated the dangerous side of their powers unwillingly. The gem stone accepts his soul, and takes notice of his purity. His energy grows and the clouds above them turn a shade of gray as lightning forms and the sound of thunder follows.

"Oh wow, look at the clouds! Am I doing that? That's all me!? Wow! Oh my, oh my this is so awesome, seriously!" Seungkwan continues rambling, and the others smile at how he was being so carefree about what's happening to him.

The thunder booms louder and the lightning above starts gathering in one particular place. His power grows and Seungkwan's eyes glow a shade of yellow. His breath hitches as he flies to the clouds. Simultaneously, the accumulating energy above him spews a blinding flash of lightning downward. Seungkwan puts his hands forward and meets the lightning halfway, the thunder booming and pounding against everyone's eardrums. Seungkwan absorbs the tremendous energy of the lightning inside his body, and he goes down immediately. His knees wobble as his feet connects with the soft grass, and the warrior was the first to assist him. He lays his hands on Seungkwan's shoulder, steadying him as he almost fell again while taking another step. Seungkwan holds his head with one hand, his head felt like it was splitting, and his body was smoking literally. Hansol ran towards Seungkwan and holds his face, only to flinch when he feels himself get shocked. The warrior blocks him with his other arm, "Stay back for a while, Hansol. Your hands are unprotected. Seungkwan's still charged with electricity, you might get hurt." Hansol nods and stays back, but only a little.

The warrior cups Seungkwan's face, and the younger male groans softly, his eyes closed. "Soldier, are you feeling alright? Answer me, soldier." Seungkwan grunts, "I…I feel fine…kinda." The warrior waits patiently until Seungkwan is completely awake and fine. His body's smoke has disappeared, and he's capable of being talkative again. "Did you see that?! I took that lightning like a pro! I absorbed it! I guess I'm pretty powerful, huh? Huh?! Oh yeah, I am! I'm the best quality!"

Hansol just nods and lets his hyung talk and talk. The warrior beside them just looks at Seungkwan with a straight face, completely opposite to Hansol who was smiling, and to the others who were either grimacing at him or covering their ears.

The warrior speaks when Seungkwan was out of words. "Boo Seungkwan, you're an elemental spirit. Unlike your elementalist mage companions who have dominion over specific elements, the black opal gives you power over multiple elements of weather itself. You can control the clouds and some of the main elements like ice, water, and wind, but your main control lies in lightning. You also have the ability to manipulate sound to thunderous properties. Basically, Boo Seungkwan is a human powerhouse."

Seungkwan smiles, "Why are you talking to me in a different point of view?" The warrior returns the smile and joins Seungkwan and Hansol back to the circle. "I thought it might cheer you up." Seungkwan feels hit with differing emotions, but he doesn't know whether it's because of Hansol holding his waist, or the warrior taking his time to cheer him up when they barely knew each other. 

* * *

Hansol's aura was the most beautiful they've seen. The amethyst color of the gem stone is displayed around him, cradling his body in a purplish glow. His hands materialize an amethyst smoke, which grows in length in front of him. The smoke disappears and unveils a floating katana half his size. He holds it, and he feels the power heavy on it. However, nothing extraordinary happens next. "So that's it?" Hansol looks at the warrior, who shakes his head.

"Not exactly." The warrior steps aside. "Try swinging your blade." Hansol nods, although unsure. He holds the katana with two hands, and slashes downward. An amethyst color glows in front of him and it tears the fabric of reality in front of him. Hansol's mouth opens, and closes, and he opens it again to say something but he's very confused. "W-what happened?" 

The warrior smiles, and says nothing. He steps inside the torn space, and he appears beside Seungcheol, who was the furthest member from them. Seungcheol jumps when he notices the warrior coming up beside him. "Wait, what…you were all the way over there and…" He points towards Hansol, and the warrior beside him, and he frowns. "You can teleport too?"

The warrior shakes his head. "Not exactly." He steps back inside the space and appears back beside Hansol, who was calmer yet still confused.

"You see, Hansol, amethyst geodes are used excessively by chemists, ninjas, and mages in their job classes due to their ability to create a rift between time and space. Due to its nature, the amethyst geode gives you the power of tearing portals into the fabric of reality." Hansol nods and watches as the amethyst edges of the tear he had created slowly mend themselves together,like it wasn't there. "Chwe Hansol, you can not only use your dagger to create portals, but also slash through your enemies effortlessly. Once your portals close, anything that gets stuck in it will be completely cut, no matter how strong its material is." Hansol nods, and looks at a large stone not far from where they are. Hansol tests his luck, and throws the katana towards the stone. It pierces the material easily, and a soft amethyst glow comes from his sword before it explodes. His sword flies back towards him and he catches it easily. But the stone his sword pierced was now cleanly halved.

The warrior looks at a smiling Hansol. "With the right timing and effective use of your powers, you are going to be the stealthiest warrior among everyone."

Hansol smiles and throws his blade as it turns into purple smoke. "You know, I think I might like this after all."

* * *

Chan was the last to go, one of the curses of being the youngest. At this point, their circle was already non-existent, the others watch behind him as he faces the warrior. "Soldier, you are the closing act of this training. Mind giving everyone a show?" The warrior gives him a challenging smirk, and Chan knows he won't back down.

"I'll give this show the groundbreaking ending it deserves!" Chan was known for his enthusiasm, and yes, he was scared of knowing his powers, but somehow, he has learned to acknowledge them. His 12 members, his brothers, have all tried their best in activating all of their powers. He thinks being the last to go has its perks after all, because he now knows what to do.

His aura glows, a strong tone of darkish brown enveloping his body. Nothing materializes inside his hands, but his power finds something else where it needs to be released. Chan grunts as he feels the boulder opal's power sift inside his soul. The ground beneath them shakes gently, and the earth around Chan bursts. The ground shifts, Chan's power causes a sudden earthquake. The earth around him jumps up, forming a protective wall. Chan holds the wall around him, and yanks it downward, the wall returning to the ground and it makes the terrain around them shake with massive intensity. The others wobble and trip towards the dancing earth, obeying every whim of Chan's fingers.

Chan rubs the ground soothingly, and the shaking stops. He rose from his kneeling position and smiles at the warrior. "Were you satisfied with the show?" 

The warrior smiles at the youngest. "Of course. That was a very beautiful display. Once again, another elementalist mage, and one who controls the earth. Boulder opals are very unique to Titans, who are very selfish with their possessions. To not have anyone steal them, they imbued it with seismic power, so that anyone who stole it may alert the Titans by letting the gem stone shake the land. Titans have the strength to move and shape the earth to their liking, thus giving you the power to command the world's ground. With you on the battlefield, the enemies might just come face to face to a very powerful titan."

Chan smiled, and he went back to his members who were all clapping and cheering for him. Seungcheol drapes an arm around him and ruffles his hair, the younger giggling. "Yah Chan-ah, you were so scary out there!"

"You were brave for going first, though." Chan looks up at him and both of them smile. Soonyoung hugs Chan tight and the latter just lets it happen. "Chan-ah, our powerful titan!" Chan snickers, "Soonyoung hyung-ie our fire chicken!" Soonyoung's mood does a 180 and lets go of the younger to glare at him. Chan doubles over in laughter, which results into the whole crowd laughing along with him.

* * *

After a long and arduous training, the warrior smiles proudly at his 12 soldiers. "You have all done your parts. After this, the trainings I will commence will only be harsher and unforgiving, just like the upcoming war that Cosmos' enemies will wage against us." The members all look at the nameless warrior with determination engraved inside them.

Gone were the days that they were just normal celebrities singing and dancing for people. They aren't only humans now, because in this world, they have a new purpose.

"Soldiers of Cosmos, take ample rest, because tomorrow, we start moving towards the northern continent. We're still at the southern so it's probably months before we reach it by foot." The warrior takes off his horned helm, his long silver hair falls and decorate his well-sculpted face.

"Where exactly in the northern continent are we going?" Jeonghan asks. 

"To the Bleeding Gorge." The warrior replies, looking towards the horizon. 

"And what's that?" Jun asks beside him. The warrior stays silent for a while before he resumes.

"It is the place where all the past wars have taken place." He makes eye contact with Jun.

"It is also where you will take your place in the coming 14th war."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST STRESSED I'VE BEEN IN MAKING A CHAPTER! I HONESTLY THINK THIS CHAPTER IS BORING HAHAHAHAHA
> 
> But yeah, just a heads up, I had a mistake in Chap 2. I only wrote Chalcedony as Seokmin's gem stone but I originally planned for it to be Blue Chalcedony and I mistyped. Sorry if I just noticed it now! I've already edited it!
> 
> Recap of everybody's job classes, gem stones and powers:
> 
> Seungcheol - Magic Knight  
\- Obsidian - Holy Darkness  
Jeonghan - Mimic Mage  
\- Rhodolite Garnet - Defensive Mimicry  
Jisoo - Magus  
\- Mystic Quartz - Seven Light Beams  
Jun - Elementalist Mage  
\- Kyanite - Water Manipulation  
Hoshi - Elementalist Mage  
\- Fire Agate - Fire Manipulation  
Wonwoo - Marksman  
\- Grey Chalcedony - Metal Conjurer  
Jihoon - Berserker  
\- Serpentine - Shapeshift  
Seokmin - Mage  
\- Blue Chalcedony - Ice and Snow  
Mingyu - Weaponsmaster  
\- Black Spinel - Weapon Specialist  
Minghao - Elementalist Mage  
\- Lapis Lazuli - Wind Manipulation  
Seungkwan - Elemental Spirit  
\- Black Opal - Weather and Sound  
Hansol - Assassin  
\- Amethyst Geode - Portal  
Chan - Elementalist Mage  
\- Boulder Opal - Earth Manipulation
> 
> Let me know of your thoughts on the comments! Your comments keep me motivated! Thanks to everyone who left kudos! This means so much to me since this is my first time making a fanfic.


	6. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks have passed since the boys' first baptism as soldiers of Cosmos. Everyone's working with their powers, and all are progressing quickly with satisfying results. However, Jihoon's transformations are getting worse.
> 
> Seungcheol decides to help, and Jihoon sees something in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special JiCheol chapter!

Minghao likes it when he's up in the skies. He loves the way his power gently eases him in the vast space of the clouds with nothing but the blue stretch of the horizon looming over his body. The pressure of the air at the height where he's suspended should crush his lungs by now, but thanks to his powers, he's discovered whole new things to check off his bucketlist.

Jisoo comes up beside him, the force of his sudden appearance flutters the younger's eyes open. "Basking in the morning glory, aren't you?" Jisoo glides around him, sporting a carefree smile.

"I could say the same to you, hyung." Minghao joins him, and they make the heavens their playground. Jisoo has never been this happy in the years he's lived. The force that blankets his body as he traverses the clouds pushes the ash brown locks of his hair. Minghao dashes past him as the younger lets out a loud scream of excitement. "I'll never get tired of this!"

Jisoo laughs, and he decides that he's just in the mood for a power display. He lets his aura out and the seven multicolored lights that he possesses dance with him and Minghao on the clouds, coloring the expanse with different hues as he casts a rainbow. Minghao reaches his hands out towards the older's beams, and Jisoo wills them to calm down as they transform into little balls of light that bounce around Minghao's clothes, as if they're asking him to play. The little giggles that comes out of the younger's lips is enough for Jisoo to know that this is somewhere they belong, even if they doubted the circumstances before.

Jisoo calls to his lights and they return inside him, his happiness spiking as he lets out a huff of airy laughs. Minghao looks at him with adoration, "Your power's really beautiful, hyung. You, Hansol, Seokmin, and Jeonghan hyung have the dangers and the aesthetics pinned. You guys are lucky."

"Hao, your power's just as beautiful as ours. The winds literally bend to your will." The younger smiles, and he notices that everyone smiles a lot these days ever since they came to this world.

The clouds beneath them part as Seungkwan rises to their level, sparks of lightning bouncing on his clothes. "Hey, I've been looking for you both everywhere."

"Well, only the three of us can fly so…I thought you already know where to look, right?" Minghao shrugs and they laugh together.

"Well, that changes now." Seungkwan says. "You see, Soonyoung has also learned how to–"

Heat enters their surroundings as Soonyoung glides to their far left, his fire breaking through every cloud it touches. It always fascinated the boys when Soonyoung lets his phoenix wings come alive. There's danger in its wide tendrils that spans through his shoulders and back, but there is also beauty in it as Soonyoung glides over the skies and his wings leave sparks and tendrils behind. His fire doesn't singe his clothes nor his skin, and seeing Soonyoung's hair sizzle inside the thick plume of fire that encases it is something very unusual yet wonderful, nonetheless.

"KWON FIRE!" Soonyoung screams, not forgetting to tone down the heat of his power as he nears towards his members.

"Wow, hyung! You finally learned to control your fire wings!" Minghao exclaims as he traces the burning outline of Soonyoung's appendage, the heat comforting to his skin.

"They're called 'phoenix wings', Hao. And yeah, I'm so excited!" Soonyoung's does a flip, his wings letting out a warm breeze of wind. "Imagine how many places I could reach with these!" Soonyoung flexes his wings, its feathers shine as it reflects the sunlight.

"It's really fascinating how high you can take them now, Soonie. I remember the times where you cried because you fell too hard while training your wings." Jisoo glides behind Soonyoung, his hands petting the fiery feathers.

"Yeah, the warrior helped me a great deal. It was grueling, but damn it, he's such an effective trainer! He literally challenges my limits, and it pays off beautifully!" Soonyoung looks behind him and smiles at the older.

* * *

The warrior had been training them non-stop every single day. They only rest when the sky is dark, and when the slightest ray of light seeks it way out of the clouds, they start training again. The warrior started tending to each of their powers' flaws, picking out each weaknesses and negativities it caused to their bodies. Thanks to his expertise in these kinds of things, Seungcheol already mastered his warping skills. He can even use his powers to warp through Mingyu's weapons and Hansol's katana. Jeonghan has learned to use his power to create a force field that can fit all of them. He even knows how to levitate himself now, but not to the extent of Jisoo, Soonyoung, Minghao, and Seungkwan's flight abilities. Jun can now walk on water and he's already able to expand liquid matter. He once tranformed droplets of water to devastating tsunamis (everyone was very scared of Jun when he tried it while they were all bathing in a lake).

The others didn't really need much work other than some mastery training. Jisoo was knowledgeable of his light's capabilities. Soonyoung has already learned to control his phoenix wings. Minghao and Chan were the best pupils in class, excelling in every training the warrior hands them. Seokmin, too, was very good in handling his powers, although he gets a bit giddy at times and ends up filling their hairs with snow. Seungkwan's only issue was that he had difficulty manipulating sounds, but he was proficient in utilizing the rest of his powers, especially lightning. Mingyu deals with food hunting since his mastery in all of his weapons turned him to their group's resident marksmen. Wonwoo con now form metal blades, swords, and knives with one flick of his wrists, thanks to Mingyu's generosity in letting Wonwoo borrow his weapons so that he could memorize every detail and apply the designs into the metal he conjures.

Hansol uses his powers conveniently, tearing portals from here and there to scout around the areas where they camp. He's even found a great way to fish with Mingyu using his katana and his powers,and they were really grateful that the fishes, unlike other wild animals, didn't plan to leave this world. Fishes have become their only form of food, or "sustenance" as Junhui coined from their nameless trainer. All things considered, they were all in good shape, gaining just a bit of weight, most of it muscles due to the training. Their facial hairs are always groomed though because thanks to Wonwoo's metal manipulation, they never run out of razors. Seokmin's snow were always used by everyone to cool their faces off after shaving, and any wounds that may appear can be easily healed by Jisoo's green beam. Wonwoo, Chan, and Junhui work in teams when they take a bath. The earth and metal manipulator make improvised cubicles and Junhui controls the stream of water as a makeshift shower. They think that it is fun, living like this.

Except for Jihoon, that is.

When his power spikes up, pain only follows. His beasts are powerful, and he's learned to shapeshift into five different creatures. First one is the abnormally large lion. Second is the humongous mammoth with curved tusks. Third is a fairly huge wolf whose teeth secrete poisonous jade venom. Fourth among these monsters is an eagle-like gigantic bird who's as large as everyone when it stands, and its wings are too damn wide. Its feathers can also harden, and he can eject these feathers as projectiles. The fifth is probably Jihoon's scariest transformation, since his fifth beast is a winged dragon that breathes jade fire. He's in full control of the beasts' bodies when he transforms, but the process he goes through is something that's scarred his companions for life.

The first time he transformed back from being a dragon, his skin was battered with blood and bruises. Some of his bones were protruding from his skin, and he was littered with cuts around his back, the largest was from where the wings sprouted.

They all cried that day, even the warrior.

Seungcheol has stayed by his side since the first transformation, his support for Jihoon unwavering. He's always the shoulder where Jihoon's muffled grunts are released as Jisoo and Soonyoung use their powers' healing properties to tend to him. They rearrange his bones back to place while Seokmin was just beside them to numb Jihoon's body with ice after everything's been pushed back to where they originally were. Jihoon heals from his wounds immediately, one of his power's feats. But they were not comforted by that, not at the very least. Being able to hear Jihoon's screams as he writhes, and cries through the pain of transforming is something that will continue to hurt them.

And Seungcheol, for one, has had enough.

* * *

In some ways, Cosmos and Cid still make their presence known to the wandering warriors. They leave them with clothes everyday, and they provided their tent during their first night outside the southern continent. Their equipments were surprisingly modern, and the warrior explained that Cid has been enjoying his time in Earth, taking note of how convenient everything was, and decided to give the warriors some basic necessities that will be helpful in their journey.

The warrior waves his hands as he breaks the barrier of light around them, the damage to their surroundings disappearing as the dome shrinks and disappear inside the warrior's hands. Jisoo, Soonyoung, Minghao, and Seungkwan head down from the clouds and meet with the others on the ground. From the grassy plains and the hills, they have found themselves a proper training ground in a secluded beach somewhere along the east. The sand isn't white and there are huge rocks littered everywhere, but it was effective for Chan's trainings. Chan has successfully terraformed the beach to an acceptable degree, the rocks were moved around to serve as a protective wall and the soft sands were secluded around their camping grounds. The warrior examines what the youngest has done, and nods in approval. He surmises they'll get a good sleep tonight.

The sky is a beautiful hue of orange, rose quartz and serenity as the sun bids its goodbye. The others gather around and wait for Jihoon, as he was usually the last one to come since his transformations now have been slower in order to lessen the pain. The warrior gives Seungcheol a knowing glance before speaking, "Choi Seungcheol."

The younger between the two looks at him wide-eyed. "Jihoon awaits."

The leader nods and goes behind the large boulder behind them where the faint green glow of Jihoon's aura seeps between its spaces. He forms a dagger with his powers and throws it in the narrow opening of the rocks, smiling wide when he hears the dagger strike the sand behind the boulder that serves as the only thing blocking him from Jihoon. He closes his eyes and vanishes in a dark ripple and reappears where his dagger once was. He stands up and dusts his pants as he looks at Jihoon who was currently transformed into a new beast, he thinks, because he has never seen Jihoon transform to a black bear before.

The beast's green eyes glow in the dark corner where it resides, and Seungcheol knows those eyes all too well.

Jihoon is scared.

He reaches for the bear's furry paws, stroking the nails affectionately and lifting it to his chest. "You don't have to be scared, Jihoon. I'm here. I won't let you go through pain anymore."

The bear's expression softens, but the sadness in its eyes are still there. Seungcheol just cups the bear's snout with both of his hands and puts his forehead on its own. They stay like that for a while, Jihoon's furry arms holding Seungcheol in place, not wanting him to leave.

"I'll help you." Seungcheol looks at Jihoon and pours out his own aura to the younger. The bear gasps as the green aura reacts to Seungcheol's. They weren't clashing, Jihoom notices, and he lets a puff of breath when the aura of the older calms his body through his transformation. 

"Put your trust in me, Jihoon." Seungcheol's words pierce Jihoon and his aura covers him in a bright green light as his silhouette shrinks. He slowly gains his arms and legs back, and he feels his body rearrange itself. However, he notices that there wasn't much pain. The sting is still there, but Seungcheol's aura blankets it.

He blinks his eyes open and hot tears follow through as he feels a great comfort wash over him, something he wasn't able to feel in the past weeks of training. He sees Seungcheol's eyes looking at him, and the older was also crying in front of him. Jihoon swears he hears a slight whimper as Seungcheol closes his eyes and hangs his head low. The older trembles and kneels to the ground, expressing his pain in sharp intakes of breath.

"Seungcheol!" Jihoon levels with him, checking his face and his clothes for any sign of blood or wound. "Cheol, talk to me, what's happening?"

The older clamps his hands with Jihoon's and he lets out a shudder as he gives Jihoon a weak smile. "I...I did it." His face contorts when another wave of pain hits him in the belly, but he smiles again when he looks at the younger male's frowning face. "I told you to trust me...and you did." Jihoon gasps, everything pieces itself together inside his head as he registers what just happened. 

Seungcheol used his power to absorb his pain.

Jihoon's mouth opens, and closes, and opens again as he struggles to find the words to tell Seungcheol. All he does is sob silently as his mouth quivers when Seungcheol heaves in pain and meets his eyes as new batch of tears pour through both of them.

"W-why…? Why would you..." Jihoon doesn't care if he's naked right now, because what he realizes at this moment is how selfless Seungcheol is, and he can't seem to find a reason why he does these things and why didn't he see it before. It hurts how willing Seungcheol is to sacrifice his comfort just to take another person's pain but he feels a never ending stream of gratitude for Seungcheol, and he shows it in strangled words as tears continue to pour.

"I don't…don't know what I'll do…" Seungcheol grips Jihoon's arms as the pain sinks into his bones, his tears blurring his vision, but he can see Jihoon just right. "I don't know what I'll do if I hear you screaming like that again."

Jihoon hugs Seungcheol, tighter than he ever did in the long years they've been together. Seungcheol sobs on the skin of Jihoon's shoulders. "When I hear you crying, begging for everything to stop…my heart breaks, Jihoon. You broke all of our hearts. You don't know how much we cried for you because you were always getting hurt."

Jihoon was hysterically crying at that point, the strong feelings of Seungcheol hits him like a truck in full-speed, but he accepts it instead of running away. He hiccups as his throat runs dry, his voice only knowing Seungcheol as he chants his name in overwhelming gratitude and regret. He was crying, but not from pain.

Not anymore.

They stayed like that for a while, never moving away and just holding each other's bodies tight, like they will break once someone lets go. Jihoon buries his nose in Seungcheol's collarbone, and he speaks. "Thank you, Cheol. You…" Jihoon doesn't know what he's feeling inside, but he's seeing Seungcheol in a new light. He knows it's something far from how he saw the older when they were idols, but he also knows he feels more. He just doesn't know what to call it. "...you did all of that for me. I-I don't know how I can repay you."

Seungcheol pulls away from Jihoon's shoulders. The latter almost whines at the sudden retreat of Seungcheol's head, and the older looks at him with such fondness. He smiles and strokes Jihoon's hair. "You repay me by staying safe, okay? Nothing matters more to me than everyone's safety." Seungcheol eyes Jihoon's hair, then his forehead, then his nose, his lips, and he finally makes eye contact with the smaller man. "You're special to me, Jihoon. So special."

Jihoon stares at him, and grins. He doesn't know if Seungcheol means it in a different way, but he masks his feelings with his usual defense mechanism: snarky remarks. "So you do feel that I am feeling pretty naked right now?"

Seungcheol blushes immediately and stands up, turning his back on him. "Uh, you uh, get dressed up uh, I'm going back, first, um, if you…want?"

Jihoon giggles and twists his ring to change into his casual clothes, an attribute they have learned about the accessories ever since Cosmos and Cid left them clothes but no bags. Once he's dressed up, he pinches the fabric of Seungcheol's sleeves. "No. Let's go out together." He offers Seungcheol a smile, and the latter smiles back.

* * *

An hour has passed when they got back to everyone, and they all wolf whistled when they saw Jihoon completely dressed. "Someone's eager to dress Jihoon." Jeonghan raises his eyebrows at the oldest and Seungcheol just scoffs and smiles in return. Jihoon was bubbly and everyone immediately noticed how he wasn't sporting any wounds or bruises. But they knew better than to ask, so they just settled for a fun talk while walking back towards their camping grounds.

The warrior slows down and looks at Seungcheol's back, shrinking further as he walks. He also sees how Jihoon looks at the older and the warrior notices that there's a glint in there he hasn't seen in the shapeshifter before.

Chan speaks beside the warrior. "I think I know what you're thinking." The warrior looks at him for a moment, but Chan doesn't and just speaks. "Seungcheol hyung's always been like that."

The warrior gets him and smiles immediately. "He's worth the light inside him." The warrior walks with Chan as they stare at Seungcheol and Jihoon who were laughing with each other at the front.

"They probably don't even know that we heard them." Chan sniffs and wipes his eyes. "God, I love them so much. They're one of the few things I don't regret running to in my life."

The warrior smiles, puts an arm around Chan and removes his helm with his free hand. "You and your friends have the most beautiful bond I've ever seen among all the warriors that passed here." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be doing these special OTP chapters every now and then! Treat these chapters like a side-story that will contribute to building their romance 😍😍❤️❤️
> 
> Thank you again for taking your time to read this fic! Apologies if I have some errors, I just did this today on my cellphone hahahaha


	7. Campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For one night, they rest. And all their hidden feelings are whispered into the darkness of the night which was only lit by their own campfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be slight mentions of other idols.

Seokmin lets his snows play around the fabric of Wonwoo's tee. He swirls it around the older's hair, swaying it from side to side. Wonwoo's giggles are cute and lovely as he lets out small metal cubes from his hands and magnetizes the strands of the snow wielder. 

"You look better like this, hyung!" Seokmin laughs heartily as his powers transform Wonwoo's hair into a faux mohawk. 

"You'll look better than me after I'm done with you, for sure!" Wonwoo's nose scrunch upwards as he lets out a loud laugh when he messes the younger man's hair. "There! You look like Einstein!" 

They both mess with each other, but in a cute and funny way. They were close before, but not like this. Wonwoo assumes it's because they work well together due to their stones belonging to the same family.

"Hey guys, the warrior's calling us for a—" Mingyu treads the sand as he calls on to the others, but his words get stuck in his throat when he sees Wonwoo and Seokmin playing with each other. He doesn't know when it started, but all these feelings that form lumps in his throat got worse since they stumbled upon this fantasy world. It has gotten to the point where he can't even start speaking once the slightest wave of that unknown emotion hits him.

Or maybe he knows what it is, he just doesn't want to admit it.

It sucks, he thinks. He feels like an immature teenager all over again, and what's even stupider is that he feels territorial over Wonwoo.

Seokmin spots him, the faint glow of the sunset reflecting on the sharp features of his face as he waves at the younger a few feet away from him and Wonwoo. "Mingyu-yah! Play with us!"

Mingyu suppresses the incoming wave of emotion that's about to come, and smiles at Seokmin, "I'd like to, but the warrior's calling for us! I think there's something he wants to discuss!"

Seokmin nods in understanding and he lets the snow fall on Wonwoo's hair as he lets go of his powers, and it gently brings the older's faux hairstyle back to how it was. Wonwoo does the same, giving Seokmin a toothy grin as he absorbs the metal cubes back inside his body. He shakes the snow off his hair and taps the younger on his back, "C'mon, let's get Mingyu."

Seokmin beams and runs towards the younger man who was still rooted in his place, but Wonwoo just walks slow with hands hidden in the pockets of his pants. Seokmin lays an arm around Mingyu and hugs him for a bit, Mingyu doesn't feel like returning the notion, but he just smiles and lets the older do what he wants.

"I'll go back to the camp now, okay? I think I need to set the tents so that we can repel the cool air inside when we sleep. It always gets too damn cold at night." He lets go of Mingyu and dashes back towards the others. "Take Wonwoo back!" He shouts as he becomes small with every step he takes.

Mingyu feels a pang of fear as Seokmin's recent request rings in his ears. It has been prevalent in the last few weeks that Seokmin and Wonwoo have been spending more of their time with each other, and it almost feels like the two of them train together since their stones have the same power signatures. They even coined a duo name: _ Chalcedony Bros _. Wonwoo and Seokmin thinks of it as adorable, and Mingyu hates the fact that he also thinks it is adorable.

Mingyu knows that no matter how much Wonwoo spends time with the others, they'll still have their time together because it's inevitable to hang out with everyone when you're with a tight-knit group of 13 people. But he can't help but feel like he's leaving Wonwoo behind, and he also feels like Wonwoo's doing the same to him. Most of all, he knows that it's none of his damn business, but when Mingyu looks at the older walking along the shore with his hands stuffed inside his pockets, Mingyu feels a heat; pure, unbridled heat that fills his cheeks with color as if he's a fucking virgin. Not that being a virgin sucks, because Mingyu definitely becomes his most virgin self when he's around Wonwoo.

Actually, Wonwoo and Mingyu are each other's firsts. Mingyu remembers how caring Wonwoo was, how delicate he treated his body as if they were making love. They even enjoyed it to a point where they switched positions and went at it again. Nothing changed after that day, they still treated each other as brothers. But that was where the problem nested.

Wonwoo continued meeting different people, exploring his sexuality and widening his horizons with multiple one-night-stands. Mingyu was horribly terrified for Wonwoo, but the older assured him that everything was alright, that his partners are not hurting him and that he came to the doctor regularly to know if he is clean. 

Mingyu became frustrated with how Wonwoo was looking for different partners when he just wants the older to explore his sexuality through him. Mingyu wanted Wonwoo so bad, but Wonwoo didn't want him back. So he can't help himself to think that Seokmin and Wonwoo have something going on.

"Penny for your thoughts, Ming?" Wonwoo looks up at his eyes, and Mingyu feels another lump growing inside the lump he had earlier, if that's even possible. All of his vocabulary drains as his words come out as faint stutter in front of Wonwoo. Mingyu really likes it when people look up at him because his height makes him feel intimidating to others even though his true character is the furthest from it. But when Wonwoo is the one looking in his eyes, Mingyu's the one who feels intimidated. Not to mention the very strange shiver that runs through his body when Wonwoo calls him _ Ming _, a nickname only the two of them know.

"Ming, you okay?" Wonwoo raises his brows at the younger as he slinks a hand on Mingyu's in concern.

Mingyu wants to die, because he's actually biting his lips to stop a fucking moan.

"Uh, um the…the warrior, he…" Mingyu actually feels sorry for himself at this point because Wonwoo is now looking at him as if he is enjoying this 

"Mingyu, why are you blushing?" Wonwoo smirks, and Mingyu badly wants Chan to activate his power and bury him in the sand as he feels his breath hitch when Wonwoo inches closer.

"I-I…we have to go, Wonwoo...the others—" Mingyu's mind stops working when Wonwoo's hands make contact with his nape. Mingyu shakes, and he closes his eyes as he revels in Wonwoo's touch. His hormones are on fire as Wonwoo's fingers dance on his skin, and it has been too long since he's been this close with Wonwoo. He doesn't know if Wonwoo feels the same, but Mingyu hasn't had sex in a long time so even the slightest touch sends his blood running everywhere, especially to the southern parts of his body.

Wonwoo presses harder and Mingyu gasps for air. "Do you really want to go with the others? Or…" Wonwoo teases, and he puts Mingyu under an authoritative sense of control. Mingyu is putty under him as his voice shrinks to a whisper. "...or maybe somebody misses me and he went here so we can be alone?"

Mingyu breaks, his body burning with the faintest touch. "Maybe I do miss…you." Mingyu pants, his throat relishing in the feeling of being free from the words he keep on bottling. "W-what are you gonna do about it? I…I missed you, Wonwoo."

The hand on Mingyu's nape falls and he whines. Wonwoo giggles and the dominant visage he has disappears completely. "Wow, Mingyu, you're just like a puppy." He pats Mingyu's head, ruffling his hair gently. Wonwoo walks past the younger who's still processing what's happening. "Next time, just tell me directly." He glances behind him and smiles at Mingyu. "I'll always make time for you, _ Ming _."

"S-stop calling me that!" Mingyu raises his voice to assert his dominance, but he only ends up cementing his submissive nature. Wonwoo smirks as he continues going forward. "You love it, though." 

Mingyu just stares at Wonwoo's figure as he approaches the others, and he mutters to himself. "You have no idea, Wonwoo."

* * *

Jeonghan walks beside the warrior after imbuing the rocks that Chan formed around their camping grounds with defensive magic. The warrior thinks it would be wise to be prepared for a sneak attack, not that he's expecting one to happen. The skies are already dark, with only the faint orange glow of the setting sun painting the incoming night sky and the floating fireball within their camping grounds serve as the only source of heat for the cold night, thanks to Soonyoung.

Jeonghan looks at the man beside him and thinks that for someone who has lived a long life full of war and carnage, being nameless seems to be a curse. Imagine meeting different people from all walks of life through multiple timelines, and when they go back to their own worlds, he gets left behind without a name his companions could remember him by.

The warrior gathers them around the fire, and speaks with urgency. "Tomorrow, we delve further from the southern continents. In a few hours, we'll be delving within an area not governed by Chaos or Cosmos. The land seperating the northern and southern continents is an unprotected area where dangers are possible to be encountered. We had a good training during the first few weeks, and thanks to everyone's powers, especially Jihoon's," The warrior offers a smile at the smaller male, who nods and returns it gladly. "...we have made quite a distance that could only be reached in months by our feet. So I want everyone to applaud themselves for persevering and Jihoon for sacrificing his well-being to move the team forward." The members erupt into loud cheers and applause as they crowd around Jihoon, encasing the smaller in a fit of hugs and kisses on the cheeks. The warrior claps and feels a strange attachment to the thirteen's brotherhood, and a thought comes to him that may just be what everyone needs at a night like this.

"Everyone." The warrior clears his throat, which gets everyone's attention. "Since this is probably the last time we'll be able to sleep well without the worry of watching for everyone's safety, and since everyone's been so diligent and persevering through the trainings I put you through, I figured that maybe…it's about time we had fun, I guess?"

Thirteen wide pairs of eyes stare back at the warrior, and it was almost hilarious how noticeable they were in holding their excitement. Seungcheol speaks next, "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

The warrior grins, "I want you all to rest tonight, because we won't be training tomorrow."

Loud, loud screams fill the silent night as the members all jump with joy and relief. Soonyoung and Seokmin both fire out their powers, showering the crowd with glowing snow while Minghao and Jisoo fly around in sheer happiness. The others share a hug and they also bring the warrior inside their comfortable circle. The warrior is stunned, for the first time in his life, and slowly eases into the hug as he holds the thirteen men near his chest.

They all thank the warrior, who only smiles in return as he accepts their gratitude. "We will rest for now around the fire and save all of your energy so that you can have fun in the morning. However, when the sun sets tomorrow, we'll continue travelling, and we'll use the darkness of the night to our advantage. But tonight, if you want to do some fun things that wouldn't require tons of energy to execute, then I'm all ears."

"That's a good idea!" Jeonghan nudges from the side and he riles the others. "We're gonna have a campfire! Chan give us some seats!" Chan smiles and kneels as he grabs the sands beneath him. He raises the soft patch of earth and hardens it until the sand clamps itself on each other and forms a smooth, curved surface. Chan flicks his hands up and the sands rise, forming three long bumps on the sand that looks comfortable enough for seating.

"You're getting better, Lee Chan." The warrior says, patting the result of Chan's work and smiling in approval. He sits on it and removes his horned helm, but this time, he doesn't stop there. He also dismantles the rest of his upper body armor. He starts with his gauntlet and shoulder plates.

"He's Lee Chan! Of course he's gonna get better." Seungcheol nudges the youngest playfully with Jihoon right beside him. They hold hands together and sit down at the makeshift chairs Chan provided.

They all huddle together comfortably around the fire with the others either praising or teasing the youngest.

The warrior drops his armor on the sand, making a loud, clattering noise that shifts all attention to him. That's the moment where everyone stops talking because what they witness in front of their eyes is something between a work of art and seduction.

The warrior's body is hugged by a tight, black, clothing that covers him from the neck to his abdomen. Its long sleeve contours every detail of his bulging arms, and the outline of his pecs and abs are accentuated all too well by the reflecting light of the fire. He tucks his long hair behind his ears, and the fire casts his face in a new perspective in which the members find themselves caught.

Hansol breaks the silence, "Anyone ever told you how fucking handsome you are?"

The warrior looks at him, frowning. The members snap their heads and glare at the member. "Hansol!" Seungkwan slaps Hansol's shoulders, which makes the younger laugh. They all stay silent as they cover their faces in shame while Hansol clutches his stomach as he tries his hardest to stop laughing.

Strangely, the warrior also starts laughing, although it's calm, unlike Hansol's. The members, except the one bending over in laughter, snap their heads together again as they look at the warrior's face lighten up. They almost look like meerkats.

The warrior stops laughing, though his happiness is still evident. "For everyone's information, I do know that I look _ well _. You are not the first one to say so, Hansol."

"Stop being so modest! Literally everyone drooled when you took off your armor." Hansol states, coming down from his laughter fit.

"God, Hansol stop it." Seungcheol's voice is muffled due to his hands covering his face. He doesn't know why he's even embarrassed because among them, he's the first witness to the warrior's beauty. Actually, it's Cid he saw back at Lufenia but considering he's almost twins with the warrior, the point still remains.

Maybe he's ashamed of the fact that Hansol's much braver than any of them.

"But why, though? We're all one step away from dropping to our knees whenever he removes that horned helmet. Do y'all know how ridiculous we looked like when he removed his armor?" 

"You looked ridiculous too, asshole. Your mouth wanted to be on the floor." Minghao jabs his fingers at Hansol.

"Yeah,that's why I said 'we'. See? You're too occupied to even listen attentively." Hansol giggles. Minghao just shakes his head, but he smiles.

The warrior speaks lightly. "I just want to state how I adore your group's brotherhood. You seem to complement each other, both in negativity and positivity." He smiles at everyone, looking them in the eyes one by one. "If I didn't know better, I'd probably think all of you were brothers."

_ Brothers _. Mingyu scoffs mentally. Sure they care about each other, but him and Wonwoo have a history that only brothers would frown upon.

"We are brothers. Though we're not blood-related, we have come to know each other since our childhoods. We are more than just a group of handsome fellows who only perform together for money and fame. We are a family." Seungcheol states, looking proud and determined. The others look at him with love and trust.

Jihoon badly wanted to curl up against Seungcheol and hug him tight, but he just settles to be snarky again. "You're such a sap, Cheol."

Seungcheol just pushes him, laughing. They link hands again afterwards.

"I have a question." Wonwoo points to the warrior. "Would you agree if, for example, we wanted to give you a name?" 

The warrior looks up at him in shock, his eyes turning wide. "A name? For me?" Wonwoo just nods, sporting an expectant look. He darts his eyes to the others and they were all waiting for an answer.

"I…I never thought you'd all care if I did or didn't have a name. In my lifetime, only two people asked me about my name. They were such precious people, and good company too." The warrior smiles at the sudden flash of memories, which the members find endearing.

"In the past, I honestly wasn't like this. I was too serious and broody, I didn't let any of the past warriors to get close and personal with me, like what we're all doing right now." The warrior sighs, his brows creasing. "I also was one of the most hated among the soldiers of Cosmos during the 12th cycle."

"Did you know why you were hated?" Seokmin tries to push the conversation. "But if it's too personal, it's fine. We don't want you to be uncomfortable." 

The warrior shakes his head. "No, I kind of want to share this with you all. During the past weeks that we were together, I think I've come to put my trust in everyone."

Nothing was said as they look at each other, the warrior's confession leaving their hearts full of butterflies.

The warrior continues, "During the 12th cycle, I was one of the reasons Cosmos lost. One of the soldiers, a dragoon warrior named Kain, had a plan to kill everyone so that a 13th war can be commenced. I agreed to let him kill as many soldiers as he could, as long as Cosmos was safe, I didn't care."

Everyone was in disbelief, they couldn't believe somebody as determined and kind as him could have done such a thing.

Jeonghan speaks beside him, "But why would you do such a thing?"

"Because we were fighting a war that we'll inevitably lose. Chaos and his warriors were able to manipulate an insurmountable amount of force called the mannequins back then. They were an army of crystal abominations that take the forms and abilities of every warrior in this world. They came from a rift that Chaos and his warriors had created in this world, and as long as the rift wasn't closed, the mannequins continued pouring through. They easily overpopulated this world, and with it on Chaos' side, we were heavily outnumbered. However, Kain and five other warriors made their way to the northern continent by themselves, and they successfully severed the flow of the abominations by closing the rift." The warrior pauses as he looks at the slow swirling of the fire in front of him. It reminds him of his last moments with the six warriors.

"I was the only one at the sanctuary at the time. With the rest of the soldiers dead, and the remaining six in the northern continent, I was the last line of defense as the mannequins headed to the sanctuary to murder Cosmos. I nearly died that day, but the goddess…" The warrior lets one tear out, but he suppresses the flow and guards his expression as his voice breaks. "I was on my knees, my body was on its limit, and as I watched the mannequins swarm towards me, I have already realized that it might be how I am going to die. But Cosmos put herself forward, and protected me. She exhausted her powers to eradicate the race of the mannequins inside the sanctuary. I fell towards the dark abyss of unconsciousness, and then, the 12th purification commenced."

"What's a purification?" Chan asks.

"The purification is a sacred event where our energy is replenished, so that we can fight for a new cycle, and give this world the energy it needs. But it comes with the price of our memories. I remember that I happened to wake up after an hour or so and saw the rest of them suspended in the air as they were purified, but I also saw the six soldiers." The warrior wipes his tears hastily, as if he was scared for more to drop.

"Lightning, Yuna, Vaan, Laguna, Tifa, and Kain. Six heroes that saved this world from the abominations of Chaos. Sadly, they weren't able to be purified because the wounds they got from the battle in the northern continent were too fatal to heal. They died, and went back to their own worlds, but for the whole 13th cycle, none of us remembered their names. I am eternally grateful to Cid for breaking the chains that bound him. It was because of him that we were all able to remember our pasts. I can still remember everyone even though they are all back to where they're supposed to be. But sometimes…" He pauses and bites his lip as he fails himself in holding the tears, stifling his sobs. Jeonghan and Chan inch closer and pat his shoulders, the only act they can do to comfort him. "Sometimes I wonder if they blame me, because once all my memories returned, I kept thinking that I could've changed everything. I could've protected everyone, but I didn't." The nameless man looks at his hands, and clenches them, "I just hope that even without a name, everyone still remembers me. And now that you'll all be giving me my name, I will no longer be just a nameless warrior." He smiles through his tears, making the others tear up.

"Aw shit, I'm really weak when other people cry." Seungkwan sniffs as Hansol wipes the older's tear-stained cheeks.

"You shouldn't blame yourself. Wherever they are, I know they're not mad. You're one of the kindest and most beautiful person we've known, inside and out." Jeonghan wipes the warrior's eyes gently. They share an eye contact, and they both smile.

"What you went through is heartbreaking. You've only known war since your birth. You weren't even given the blessing of having a name. But that ends tonight." Jisoo comes up in front of him and they hold hands.

"Don't worry, we've been talking about this for a long time already so we don't have to think about names. We already have one that we know you'll like." Seokmin smiles.

"Whatever name you give me, I will gladly receive. I'm way too honored to complain." The warrior smiles, and he noticed that this is probably the only time he smiled so much.

Jihoon stands up and walks behind the warrior. "We were thinking of naming you _ Light _. Since you are literally a warrior of light, and also because you were so patient with us. You nurtured and guided us to be what we are right now. You acted as our beacon, an undying light that will never stop in showing us the right way." He puts a necklace on the warrior, the light reflecting on its chains give it an ethereal glow. In the middle of it, lies the symbol of their band, Seventeen.

"I made it for you." Wonwoo stand up and holds the metal symbol, his hand just inches away from the warrior's chest. "When this war is finished and we return to our world, you'll have something to remember us by."

The warrior is thankful, but his eyes share a look of uncertainty. "But I didn't make anything in return. I also want all of you to remember me."

"Don't bother. It's a gift from us, and gifts don't require anything in exchange." Wonwoo grins.

"Besides, we probably won't forget you." Soonyoung kneels and holds his other hand. "I don't know about them but I think you're already special to me, Light."

The warrior, _ Light _ , is overwhelmed by the sudden wave of emotions that hit him. He feels excitement, joy, agony, pain, wanting, and love from all angles of his body. He relishes on the feeling of being able to be called by a name, something that is rightfully _ his _.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out of it. So the members envelope him in hugs. "We will never forget you, Light. We promise." Chan grins as he rests his head in Light's shoulders.

"Light…" He repeats it, still unfamiliar, but he has already come to love it. "I have a name now."

"Yes." Jun lets his arms rest on the warrior's shoulders as his head lies on top of Light's. "And it'll always and forever be yours only."

"Thank you, everyone. I am eternally grateful."

"You're welcome, Light."

* * *

They still continue talking around the campfire as the hours pass. Light talked about their previous encounters with Chaos' warriors, while the boys shared their stories about Earth, to which Light was eagerly listening.

"So these black boxes, the _ phones _—was my pronunciation right?" Light's eagerness shows and the others just laugh at him as they nod. "They can speak to you, show you around the world, have the power to calculate, help you search for things, and paint portraits with just one click?"

"Yes, they are indeed unbelievable and awesome. They can fit in our pockets too." Chan pats the pockets of his pants and Light has his mouth open. "An object of that size has that amount of power? Your world is far more advanced than I thought."

Hansol snickers from the side, "Don't even think about going to Earth. It's so dirty there. We do want to go back for our families, but if we have a choice, we'll migrate them here because the air in this world is insanely clean." 

They laugh, and another moment passes them by just like that.

However, there always has to be one moment where things get a little riled up.

"So…" Seungkwan raises his head and smirks at everyone. "I think some people here owes us some stories of how they lost their precious purity. Or rather, should I say, I don't know, virginity, I guess?" The rest of the boys groan and whine in intense disapproval, except for Light, Seungcheol, Jisoo, Jihoon, Seungkwan and Chan.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Come on, hyungs, tell us the good stuff!" Chan riles them up, especially the virgins. Seungcheol starts chanting and they all follow while clapping their hands, including Light. "Spill it! Spill it! Spill it! Spill it!"

Mingyu groans, "Why do you have to know? It's not even a big deal."

Jihoon returns a scoff, "Then why are you the one making a big deal out of it?"

Mingyu smiles. "I hate it when you're right. I just wanna punch the smugness out of your face."

Seungkwan interrupts the bickering with annoyance, "C'mon just speak already!"

Hansol clears his throat, which startles Seungkwan beside him. "Okay since none of the experienced guys here seem to be eager in sharing, then I will start."

Seungcheol and the others lead an applause, to which Hansol takes a faux bow as if he was about to perform something extraordinary. "I swear, whoever orchestrates sex scenes in movies can just choke on their food, because what happened to me was nowhere near." The rest of them burst out in strangled laughter as Hansol continues. "I didn't even want the damn thing to happen. I just tried clubbing by myself during my 19th to celebrate me being legal, then suddenly I'm on some sofa and some girl was busy on my pants already. It was good that I had some condom in my wallet though—"

Seungkwan interrupts the story, "Why the fuck do you have a condom in your wallet?"

"It's a family belief, they told me that if you kept condoms in your wallet, money will come automatically."

"How the hell are they related!?" 

"Shut the fuck up, Kwannie, and let me continue. Okay, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, things just happened too fast. Good thing nobody recognized me because that club was too damn dark! And I didn't even get to cum, she just left me with the condom halfway put in my dick. From that moment on, trust me when I say that I'm never trying sex again."

They erupt in cheers, mostly laughter, to the members' sexual revelation. Jeonghan stands up, encouraged to share his story due to Hansol being the opening act, "My God, Hansol, you poor thing. At least mine was romantic, well, kinda."

Jisoo whistles, "Ooh are we getting a heartbreak story?" Jeonghan just rolls his eyes and continues.

"This was back when we were just trainees. It happened during high school prom. I happened to have a boyfriend—"

"Wait, you're gay!?" Mingyu points to the older one, who hisses in return.

"Yes, so shut up!" 

Seungcheol frowns, "How come you didn't tell us?"

"Well, now you know, congrats. Do y'all have to interrupt everytime?" The virgin ones shake their head. "Nice then. As I was saying, I have, I meant _ had _, a boyfriend during high school. We were planning to have sex for months before prom happened, so imagine just how excited I was. Long story short, we were each other's firsts. He took mine, I took his, and we worked well. But you know, idol life took my priorities and we had some miscommunication so we seperated ways, but we were happy that we acknowledged the error in our relationship. Actually, I think we had breakup sex, too. But that was before we released Adore U so that was a long case of blue balls."

The members laugh and clap along, Seungkwan and Chan are mostly cringing but still clapping nonetheless. Chan speaks, "That was brave hyung, being gay in our country is still frowned upon to this day, so I salute you for coming out to us."

Jeonghan shrugs, "You know I actually thought everyone already knew. I'm happy though, that you all accept me."

Jun follows Jeonghan's confession. "Mine was also way back from when I was still acting in my chinese drama. There was an older female staff there that was really beautiful. She always took care of me, and she was always so jolly to be with. We had a relationship, and she was the one I had during my first time. However, relationships like that were frowned upon in China, especially by my family. They fired her as soon as they knew about what we had, and they forced us to break ties. They removed her from her job but I got to stay even though I did just the same. I was so mad because it was so unfair, so I quit acting and resigned from the company as well. That's the reason why I went to Seoul, to forget and to pursue something besides acting. Thanks to that, I got to meet everyone." Jun sighs comfortably as Minghao hugs him from the side.

"Hyung, that must be painful." Minghao cards his hands through the older's hair, who smiles at the cute action. "Thanks, Hao-ah."

The others share words of encouragement to Jun, and Minghao smiles silently. He then decides that he wants to tell his story after Junhui's. 

"Mine happened just last year so I probably have the most recent experience. It was during Getting Closer promotions, when everyone knew me as 'the one with the mullet'. Same with Jeonghan hyung, I had someone, but looking for time with him was extremely difficult since we're both idols."

Seungkwan interrupts again, but this time, the others also follow. "Omo, who is he?"

"Do you guys just love it when you interrupt a good story?"

"Just answer the question, Hao."

Minghao sighs defeatedly and lets them in on a long-time secret. "Kang Daniel, okay? We met on a b-boy dance class, I didn't even know that he was also taking the same class as mine. It was pretty much just a friends-with-benefits type of relationship rather than something Jeonghan hyung had, but we did know that we liked each other. However, Daniel only came to me for the sex, and I did, too. We were going at it for months, but we broke contact when Daniel started building a new name for him and his own entertainment company. Besides, he has Jihyo now."

Jihoon was the first one to react, "You have been sexing Busan's baby boy, Kang Daniel!? And you never had the guts to tell us!? Now you really have to dish out some details!"

Seungcheol looks amused, "You look pretty excited." Jihoon just dismisses him with a wave of his hand, "Daniel's a good fellow so this concerns me. Now shush."

Minghao giggles as a blush darkens his cheeks, "He's well in bed. Nothing too extraordinary, or maybe it's because we're both men so we already kinda know what to expect. A bit above average, and his… _ thing _ is bigger than mine. But I'm not even ashamed. We go at it both ways but he likes taking charge so I end up on the receiving part most of the time."

Jun raises an eyebrow at the statement of the younger, "You're a bottom?"

Minghao just shrugs it off, "Depends on the partner. I'm versatile at both positions so if you want maybe we can test it, if you like." Minghao winks at the older, and Jun spits the water he's drinking.

Seokmin stands up from his position and squeezes himself between Jun and Minghao, "Before your clothes go flying all over the place, let me tell my story first."

Soonyoung reaches for him and gives Seokmin a light push, "Someone's eager. What story are we gonna hear?"

Seokmin recalls his memories, "It was during the Excalibur musicals, so Minghao you're wrong, I have the most recent sex activity."

Minghao rolls his eyes, "Who said it was a competition?" Seokmin giggles and continues his story.

"My stylist is extremely dashing and handsome, so as a man, I was so confused about how I felt because we're of the same sex. I've never even seen it coming because it was so sudden. I have always seen him back then while we were preparing, but when the costume rehearsals came, we spent more time together in the backstage. He always groomed me well, and he was always touching my body with firm carefulness. It made me feel like a lovesick teenager again. You know me well, guys, I'm very emotional when I work alone, so all the time that you filmed for variety shows without me was making me really lonely. It just so happened that he was the one that was beside me all the time. He listened well when I rant to him about my loneliness, and he always made me feel like I'm worthy of everyone's attention, so you can't blame me for falling, really!" 

Soonyoung links arms with him and pouts, "I can't believe you'd ever think that we were abandoning you."

Seokmin pats Soonyoung's arm, leaning towards the older's frame. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

"Well, since I'm already talking, I might as well let you all in on my little secret." Soonyoung plays with the fingers of Seokmin as he speaks. "my first time was just before Seventeen Project was aired. I've had plenty of experience with girls, especially in all of the dance classes I've attended. Most of the times, they were just sexual flings, a one-time thing. There are also times where they'll visit the company building and we'll do it inside the practice room."

Seungkwan makes a fake gagging noise, "You've desecrated the holiness of our practice room."

Seungcheol jabs his fingers accusingly towards Soonyoung, "So that was why there were cum trails in the practice room one time!? You asshole, I almost got myself a one-way ticket to the CEO's office! The staffs thought it was mine! I was so eager to push that fucking DNA test."

The others bend over in laughter as Seungcheol continues proving how serious he really was. Soonyoung wipes his eyes who were literally tearing up from laughing too much. 

"Yah, nothing's funny about that, you ass!" Seungcheol snarls, but his lips curl upwards. Soonyoung tries to apologize but his laughter bubbles up as soon as he locks eyes with Seungcheol.

Wonwoo tries to follow next. "Actually, my story may be the most shocking so you better prepare yourselves." Wonwoo takes a deep breath. Mingyu tenses beside him, recognizing the story that was about to come. "I've been with men but I'm not just gay. I've explored a bit and I think I may be bisexual."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Soonyoung interjects, to which Wonwoo disagrees. "No, they aren't in the slightest. Gay people prefer men over women, bisexuals like me are attracted to both." Soonyoung nods in understanding, and Wonwoo continues. "Ever since I was a trainee, I've known that I was different among the others. My feelings weren't as exclusive to women as I thought they were, because I find myself dreaming about men I find attractive. It didn't help that I had low self-esteem back in school, so I had unrequited crushes, both male and female. When I became an idol, I gained confidence, so I took that opportunity to explore my identity. I have to admit, I think I have the most experience out of everyone because I sought out multiple partners for one-night-stands, just out of sheer curiosity. However, I wasn't a sex addict, so it stopped eventually when I was sure of what I really wanted." Wonwoo looks at his members, slightly scared that they'll be disgusted with him. But what he sees are only looks of understanding as they nod.

Wonwo was dumbfounded, "You're not…disgusted?"

Jihoon frowns, "Do we have a reason to? I admit, for somebody who knows you for a long time, I'd never even think about you having one-night-stands. But you were just looking for answers, nothing's wrong with that."

Jisoo nods, "It's your life, you should do what you want with it. We respect that. But if you don't mind me asking, how many times have you done it?"

Wonwoo drowns in his thoughts as he recalls every memory and counts through his fingers. "About…13, or 14 times? Last time I did it was during Thanks era so it has also been a long time."

Chan covers his mouth as it opens in awe. "Wow, you must be so experienced by now." Wonwoo just laughs and nods. "I kinda take pride in my bed reputation, so yeah."

Seungkwan hits him with another question. "I kinda want to know how your first time went. Since you are very experienced now, was it embarrassing? Did you do it with a girl?"

Wonwoo stays silent, and thinks about answering it, but Mingyu holds his hands and takes the liberty of answering Seungkwan's question. 

Somehow, they were going to know, so he might as well get it done tonight

Mingyu trembles, but Wonwoo clutches his hands tight. They both lock eyes for a moment before Mingyu speaks. "I was Wonwoo's first."

Soonyoung and Seokmin jump at their seats and scream in unison, "I KNEW IT!"

Mingyu frowns, "How did you know?"

Soonyoung shrugs, "Well, I've always been observant. I noticed back then how Jeonghan always had to take some of his calls outside the practice room when the others just answer theirs inside. I also happened to be awake when Wonwoo sneaks outside the hotels during our tours, talking to his phone in a hushed tone about meeting somewhere private. And Seokmin talked to me earlier about how Mingyu was acting weird when he called him and Wonwoo, so we put two and two together and we came up with the assumption that maybe you two are together. And we were right!"

Mingyu's frown deepens, "We aren't together."

Seokmin and Soonyoung stops in the midst of their celebratory dance and looks at the two with confusion. "What? Why?" 

Wonwoo explains. "I came up to him after our Mansae showcase, and told him that he looked attractive. Long story short, we were attracted to each other and we agreed to do it that night. He took mine, I took his, but it stopped there. We never had a relationship."

Mingyu's heart clenches at the sudden dagger plunged in the depths of his heart. They never had a relationship, Wonwoo says so. Who is he to disagree?

"Are you okay with this, Mingyu?" Seungcheol looks at the younger with concern, and the rest also do, but Wonwoo answers too immediately.

"Of course he is. Aren't you, Ming?"

A hundred things are running through Mingyu's mind right now. He badly wants to speak what's on his mind, but he'll save it for another time. They are supposed to be having fun around the campfire, not discussing relationships.

He just doesn't know if they'll ever get to the "right" time.

"I'm fine with whatever direction he wants us to go. If he says we're not dating, then we're not." Mingyu tightens his hand on Wonwoo's. The older looks at him with an unguarded expression, and Mingyu notices the faintest glint of surprise in it, before Wonwoo masks it with a smile.

The others didn't know what to think of what Mingyu meant, but Light glances at them and he already knows what the display meant. So he speaks, "As someone who has been birthed in the middle of war, I am now only experiencing love and its complications through all of you. If I am to give any of you an advice, I'll tell everyone to be honest with what you are really feeling. I've always regretted how I wasn't able to express my gratitude to the past soldiers, so I atone by baring myself to all of you with my emotions. Don't wait too long, because a day may come when it's already too late. Truths often hurt and destroy relationships, but wouldn't we rather live with the harsh truth than spend our time comfortably in a bubble of lies?"

All of them nod, and take it into heart. However, Mingyu and Wonwoo have been hit in a different point.

"What you have is pure brotherhood that will surpass any discord. If that brotherhood evolves into something more, then let it evolve. Lust is bad, curiosity is not, but love is good. I can tell most of your relationships are platonic at best, but don't hold yourselves back when you start feeling the slightest tap of romance. In the battlefield, love is not a weakness, because Cosmos' love for everyone kept us from fading, and that love was what made us prevail in the 13th cycle. So I implore you to always look on what you love most. In a world like this, we need all the love we can muster."

Chan smiles as Light's voice rings proud and true to their ears and minds.

Jihoon and Seungcheol share a glance, and they lock hands.

Jeonghan plays with Jisoo's hair, and the younger lets him as he rests his head on the older's shoulders.

Minghao lies on Junhui's lap, and they stare at each other before the younger blows a gentle breeze at Jun, making him show his teeth in a knowing smile.

Soonyoung leans back on Seokmin's sturdy build, and he presses his cheeks on Seokmin's neck. Seokmin smiles at the adorable notion.

Wonwoo and Mingyu still hold each other's hands. They don't look at each other but their ears' redness speak volumes of what they are feeling.

Hansol tries hugging Seungkwan, which the latter rejects so they lapse to a bickering fit instead, their hands flying everywhere to annoy each other.

Chan stares at all of them, and he smiles as an idea dawns to him. He reaches up to hold Seungkwan's hands, and he uses the other to hold Light's. The youngest gives everyone a glance, and they already know what he means as they reach for each other around the blaze of the evening fire.

Chan closes his eyes, and he starts singing.

_ Neowa naega hamkke uriga _

_ (You and me, together) _

_ Gachi dulleoanja seororeul barabolkka? _

_ (Should we sit in a circle and look at each other?) _

Everyone looks at Chan with fondness as his voice gently swirls the sands around them. He shares a look with Jeonghan as the line finishes, and Jeonghan knows what to do next.

_ Neoreul talmeun nalssiwa _

_ (With you who resembles the weather) _

_ Kkotgil wie chueokdeul modu _

_ (All the memories upon the flowery path) _

_ Jeogeun jjokjireul apeuro naeseo _

_ (All of them are written in letters) _

_ Seoroege geonnejumyeon _

_ (Given and read out to each other) _

They ease themselves into the song, and as their voices and auras harmonize, Soonyoung and Jihoon dive into the chorus with a voice that makes the campfire release sparks that sway with the amount of emotion that they were pouring in the song.

_ Bamhaneul balkge bichun _

_ (And the night sky that illuminates) _

_ Uriui noraessori _

_ (Our singing voice) _

_ Uriui useumsori _

_ (And sounds of our laughter) _

_ Hana dulssik twineun bulssi soge _

_ (One, two sparks of the campfire) _

_ Boineun uri chueok _

_ (Which our memories can be seen in) _

_ Deo balkge bitnago _

_ (They're shining brighter) _

Seokmin and Seungkwan gather their voices, which were unused ever since their first encounter with this world. They harmonize, and their voices ring a calmness in the dark of night, their campfire becoming a bright passage of light.

_ Oneuri jinagado _

_ (Even when today passes by) _

_ Hamkke mandeun I norae _

_ (This song that we made) _

_ Ijji anhasseumyeon hae, oh _

_ (It's okay if you won't forget it, oh) _

_ Nae yeope itdeon neo _

_ (You, who's beside me) _

_ Ne yeope itdeon na _

_ (And me, who's beside you) _

_ Seororeul mandeun _

_ (We made this for each other) _

_ Uriui campfire _

_ (This is our campfire) _

They reach deep, and use the symphony of their voices that once sang in front of millions who didn't even know them, but has come to completely love them for their music and their identity. It reminds them of Light, a man who only a month ago, was non-existent to them. And now, they sing this song for him, for their members, for Cosmos, and for all the people in Earth that they have left, but will soon meet again.

_ Himdeulgo neo jichil ttae _

_ (When you're tired and exhausted) _

_ Geudael balkhyeo julgeyo _

_ (I'll make it bright for you) _

_ Nae soneul nohji mayo, oh _

_ (Don't let go of my hands, oh) _

_ Nae yeope itdeon neol _

_ (You, who's beside me) _

_ Ne yeope itdeon na _

_ (And me, who's beside you) _

_ Seororeul balkhil _

_ (We light up each other) _

_ Uriui campfire _

_ (This is our campfire) _

* * *

Light comes out of his tent to see Chan still sitting along the campfire. His back looks small, yet so dependable and strong as the embers blanket a soft glow around his silhouette.

"Lee Chan, you have to sleep. There'll be plenty of festivities tomorrow. You should save your energy." Light sits beside him when he notices that Chan was still not eager on sleeping.

"Is there a problem? Maybe I could lend a hand on it, if you'd like."

Chan disagrees silently, his eyes still focused on the floating ball of fire Soonyoung has made for them. But Light stays with him through the deafening silence, with Chan just staring forward.

When Chan sighs, the warrior tenses for a bit. "It's kind of funny how we're 13, huh?"

Light is confused, but he doesn't press into the matter and just rests his hands on Chan's shoulders. "Chan, come on. Let's sleep, do you want me to join you?"

Finally, Chan looks at him, but his eyes were void of happiness, a huge contrast to how happy he looked earlier. "When you have a group of 13 people, there's only room for 6 pairs."

Chan stands up, leaving Light with his mouth agape as the youngest soldier enters his own tent.

It is funny, how his members looked at the others with love. Seungcheol has Jihoon, Jisoo has Jeonghan, Junhui has Minghao, Wonwoo has Mingyu, Soonyoung has Seokmin, and Seungkwan has Hansol. 

But Chan looked at them all and realized that nobody even looked back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but I probably won't be updating next week since it's my freaking midterms 😢
> 
> However, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Tension will start to rise with the following chapters. And I'm sorry for the readers who felt hurt for Chan but the angst will just pick up from here.
> 
> I love you all and comment your thoughts, please! If there's something you do not like, don't be afraid to speak your mind!


	8. Skirmish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun and Minghao discover something very vital to their relationship. Chan stays neglected by his members, and he's very irritable about it.  
While they move towards the northern continent, they find themselves in a very perilous aerial combat.  
Moral of the story: Everyone should always listen to Chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JunHao shippers, the first act of this chapter is for you!  
IT FEELS GOOD TO UPDATE! AND FINALLY, MY MIDTERMS ARE DONE!

Thanks to the events last night, Jun spent the hours of his "sleep" wide awake.

First, they are really moving away from safe quarters later today, which means an encounter with an enemy goon might happen so now's probably the time that they should train harder than ever. Skill-wise, all of them are capable of holding their own. Experience-wise, now that's the part where things get debatable.

Second, they just baptized someone with a name. Now that's something unforgettable. Junhui thinks that the warrior, Light, is even better with a name. It probably means nothing to some of his members but knowing that it probably weighs tons to Light makes it just as special in the corners of Junhui's heart.

Third and final, he realizes how greatly Minghao has come to affect him. He knows that each member of Seventeen has a factor that they contribute to make the group stand out, but lately, Jun has been looking for the younger frequently. Minghao tends to stay up in the clouds ever since he learned how to fly, and Junhui badly wants to follow him so that he can finally see how majestic Minghao looks in the massive stretch of the blue sky.

But Jun has never known Minghao's shade of blue because he belongs to the vastness of the ocean. He's known how beautiful it can be, and he notices it as he walks away from the shore but the waters don't let him sink. It accepts him not as a human but as a part of the sea, and that is what makes it truly irreplaceable for Junhui.

As always, Jun still hates it when he thinks how Minghao and him have always been in different shades of colors. The younger was prim, proper, and collected even when he's in his most ecstatic state. Even his laughter sounds peaceful and soothing, and that's the polar opposite of how Jun is. Junhui knows that he is boisterous, childish, uncontrollable and a rule-breaker. Jun has never known the art of following before he geared for being an idol. The sole reason why he cut ties with his past agency because of the dating issue was because he was just that brash and emotional. Whereas Minghao was fuck-buddies with someone, and the younger was fine with no-strings-attached relationships. It made Jun see Minghao on a different area he has never known, and he saw that Minghao was too far from where his ground stood.

The skies and the sea are parallels. They can only see each other, whether they're in their most vulnerable or most beautiful state.

And parallel lines will never intersect.

"Here I thought that you didn't know how to flex." Minghao's voice shakes him away from the train his thoughts have started to make. He turns around to see that he has gone very far from the shore and is now teetering on the abysmal parts of the ocean. But the sea is kind, because they still lift his body away from the treacherous world below him.

He also notices the huge arches and pattern of the saltwater that his thoughts have made in the surface around him. It rotates and flows like it was Jun's own axis.

"What brings you to my humble sea abode, sky dancer?" Jun addresses him with a hint of playfulness as he commands the waters to rest and return to the surface. They don't fall in place, because Jun wills them to swirl ever so slowly until they drop peacefully on the chaotic sea.

"Nothing in particular, he who controls the seas." Minghao curtsies at him jokingly, and Jun waves a water towards the younger. But Minghao is quick, and he evades the attack before swooping down beside the older.

"The others are looking for you, you know? They wanna play volleyball." Minghao dips his feet in the water slightly, which makes him look like he was also walking in water. Junhui snickers, both at the member and what he said.

"Where would they even get a ball?"

"They pestered the maknae to make one from the sands, and I gotta tell you, Chan is a monster in manipulating his powers. The ball can almost pass as a real volleyball if it wasn't so grainy and flaky."

Jun smiles, Chan has always been special since day 1. He suddenly remembers how the maknae had taken lead of their dance routine when they were still trainees. Despite being the youngest, his skills and reliability are not to be taken lightly. However, he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he checks out the man beside him who was busy wiggling his toes which were submerged in the saltwater. Minghao's only wearing beach shorts, the rest of his body's void of clothes. Jun knows he's supposed to blush, or rather supposed to be flustered by the body presented on his eyes, but Jun's not lovesick nor pining over him. He knows Minghao's body like how he knows his. He knows the point where Minghao's collarbone dips, he knows Minghao's moles on his lean back, he knows how Minghao scratches his navel when he's spacing out, he also knows how much Minghao likes it when everyone notices how built his body is, but Jun is the only one who knows where Minghao's sensitivity lies.

At this point, Junhui is almost sad that he knows almost everything about Minghao.

"What are you doing?" The younger nudges him, smiling lightly. Jun doesn't move his eyes, but he answers. "Just admiring the view."

Minghao's eyes reflect a bit of surprise at the older's boldness, but he takes it well. "Yeah well, the sky is pretty at this time of the day."

"I think we're talking about different skies, Hao." Jun diverts his attention to the horizon displayed in front of them both. He's almost baffled by how the skies are always blue in this world, but maybe it's just to show the beauty of calmness before they enter the storm of the borderlands and the northern continent.

Minghao ponders Jun's vagueness, "What do you mean?"

Jun has always been secretive and reserved. No matter how playful he got, he'll always have his privacy when and how he wants it. But after last night, every fibre of his privacy is being tested. Light's words ring true, and they burn inside Jun.

So he lets it out, and he hopes Minghao will understand.

"I'm talking about my sky, Minghao. That sky is beautiful, and it's the only sky I've ever known since my heart was first broken. This sky has given me a new heartbeat, so you could say it gave me another chance to feel affection again."

Jun decides to look at Minghao, and they lock eyes as the older decides to confess all his feelings."My sky is made up of 12 precious people, Minghao. In its center is you."

Minghao looks at the older with intense sincerity as he digests every word slowly and intimately.

"I belong to the oceans. I live in its depths, and they accept me, Hao. In turn, I also need to accept how I can never be one with my sky. You belong up there, and I belong down here. We're parallels, you and I. We can always look at each other but I feel like we're never meant to be together." Jun caresses the curves of Minghao's face, and it's disappointing how Jun feels it exactly like how he expected it to be.

But Minghao proves him wrong, and in that moment, Junhui is surprised when the younger leans into his touch, closes his eyes, and brings up a hand to meet Jun's.

They stay like that for a while, and Junhui is starting to question what he's supposed to feel. He thought he already knew where Minghao lies in him, and how he lies within Minghao. But Minghao continues to surprise him when the younger stares at him full of love and longing.

Jun rises from the ground as Minghao scoops him and flies him to the skies. Jun's body trembles from the pressure that blankets them due to how fast Minghao was flying, but he seeks solace in the way Minghao gently carries him towards the heavens. They lock eyes for a moment, and in Junhui's eyes, Minghao has never looked so strong and beautiful.

He slowly feels their parallel lines intersecting.

"Hao, what are you doing!?" 

"Proving you wrong." Minghao goes higher, but he's careful and he watches the older if he's showing a sign of discomfort. Junhui, on the other hand, is very fine because being part of the ocean has equipped him with the strength to withstand the greatest underwater pressures. Seeing this, Minghao goes way up higher than the clouds itself. They're probably somewhere around the stratosphere or the troposphere but Junhui couldn't care less.

Even though they can both take the pressure, Minghao still encases them both in an air pocket to protect their skin which were both revealed to the heat and also to help Junhui float mid-air. Minghao looks at the older's eyes once more before he lets him go.

Jun panics, and he chases Minghao's strong arms. "No, Hao! D-don't—I'm…I'm scared, Hao."

Minghao smiles at the cute act, but he reassures Jun with a whisper. Jun's throat constricts in the slightest when Minghao's chest touches his. "Trust me, hyung."

Junhui does, and he lets himself go. Instead of plummeting, all Jun feels is lightness and the comfort of Minghao's aura.

"Minghao. I…I'm flying?" Jun glides and hovers around Minghao, who's looking at the older with adoration. This is the first time Jun has ever flown, and this might be the highest he'll ever soar. His stance shows just how inexperienced he is in an unfamiliar setting, but his familiarity in his own powers prove to be useful. It turns out that traversing the skies wasn't that much different from swimming underwater.

"Do you see it now, hyung?" Minghao comes beside him and holds his hands. "When you're here with me, maybe the sky and the seas can be one after all."

Jun is stunned. He's never seen the younger this bold and affectionate. Sure, they've been hanging out too many times due to them being of the same nationality, but their relationship was friendly at best. Jun liked him ever since they were trainees but nothing gave Jun the slightest bit of assurance that Minghao liked him back. To say that Jun was surprised is an overstatement.

"When did you start feeling this way, Hao?"

"Does it matter when?" Minghao's eyes are vulnerable and emotional. "What matters is now. Right now, you're with me. Right now, we both love each other. You assumed that we're talking about different skies but you're mistaken, hyung."

Jun reaches for the younger's nape and gently massages it. "Minghao…are you saying you love me?"

"Yes. Because my sky is you, Jun."

No more words were needed as their love for each other came crashing down on both of them. Jun catches the other in a surprise when his lips touch Minghao's. Their lips don't move, but Jun feels his barriers crashing. All those years of friendship lies before them and that realization makes Jun pull away, or rather tried to pull away since it wasn't long before Minghao finds himself addicted and wanting more than just a peck. So he chases it, and their lips share a passion as comfortable and caring as the winds that carry them both within the heart of the heavens.

Jun successfully pulls away after a fifth time to kiss Minghao's cheeks, then his forehead. "I love you so much, Hao. I want this moment to last forever."

Minghao kisses his cheeks back and he nuzzles Jun's neck. "I love you too, hyung. And we will last forever." He pecks the older's lips one more time before they slowly make their way back to the ground.

* * *

It has been a long day of festivities, Chan recalls as he packs his tent along with most of his junk. Most of them are already prepared, and Light is rounding up everyone to check if they are missing something or someone. Chan admires how the warrior can be so menacing and commanding in their trainings but he can also be just as sweet and caring when he wanted to. After last night's campfire, Light had become more comfortable and lenient to everyone. He started treating everyone like his friends rather than his trainees. He was still formal, but most of his formality has at least been upgraded to friendly.

However, what Chan didn't want to notice the most was how everyone started being too close with each other.

Seungcheol and Jihoon have been smiling at each other a lot now. Jeonghan and Jisoo have been holding each other's shoulders since earlier. Wonwoo and Mingyu are always together. Soonyoung and Seokmin have been playing with each other non-stop. Hansol and Seungkwan have been bickering around as they hold each other's hands.

And the biggest news of the day is about their two Chinese members, Junhui and Minghao, who have announced the reality of their relationship to everyone. They were really concerned when Minghao didn't come back for a while when they sent him to find Jun. However, when the two returned, they told everyone how they both suddenly found out that their love was mutual from a long time ago and they decided to be together from now on. Chan wanted so badly to be happy, because his two hyungs deserved it. But everyone is just so occupied with finding their partners, lately.

Everyone excluding him.

Chan knows it shouldn't bother him but when he sees the others not even calling his name as they form their soldier circles, it makes him mad. Jealously mad. He took his time arranging his things and he let the members drift far away from where he is so that he can start expressing just how angry he is.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to start that campfire, after all. Everyone's so fucking sappy with each other, it's as if they started having their hipbones attached to each other. Guess what, maybe I went to a different campfire seeing that I'm all alone and nobody even wants to talk to the poor, neglected maknae." If anyone heard Chan, they'd probably think he was practicing a rap due to how fast he's ranting and how irritated his movements became.

Chan fists his things inside a sling bag he made from the sands as his irritation grew bigger and his rants become louder. However, he suddenly stops all movements when he heard another voice behind the barriers not so far from where he's crouching.

"They are preparing. They're heading towards the unprotected lands." Chan ducked behind a boulder on his left and hid. Due to the heavy weight that the voice was carrying, Chan immediately identified the voice to be a stranger's, which was similarly strange due to the fact that the 14 of them and Cosmos are the only people who've met each other.

Assuming that the owner of this voice is somebody new, Chan finds himself near the presence of Chaos' soldier.

"I'll meet you at the rendezvous point, but do not instigate an attack. We need to talk to Cosmos' soldiers." Chan hears a howl of wind and he tries peeking at the stranger, but he sees no trace of a person nor an entity from where he heard the voice.

Chan thinks that maybe, he's imagining things due to his sudden outburst earlier. So he shrugs it off and runs towards the others. In the circle, Jihoon has already transformed into his eagle form, with Seungcheol mounted on top of him to fuse their auras together so the transformation would hurt less. The others are already climbing Jihoon's wings, and Chan is disappointed once again that nobody even waited for him except Light.

"Chan, there you are. I was worried when you weren't present earlier." Light holds him as he helps the youngest climb Jihoon's back.

"Well, it's nice to know someone cares." Chan spits bitterly as he forces a smile upon Light. 

They start heading north at once, and Jihoon sends powerful gusts of winds that shake the earth and the waters around them as his wings bring them up. Chan has always loved it when they travel using Jihoon's beasts. Although the process is immensely painful, the way they soar above the clouds is very satisfying and relaxing. It almost eases out the jealousy burned inside Chan's mind and heart.

Of course, it's not always easy. He's at the furthest place near Jihoon's tails, and he can see everyone from where he is. He's a witness to everyone's cuddling fever, and it irritates him to the core. Chan decides he's had enough for today, so he initiates a small talk. "Hey guys, I think I have something you all want to hear."

No one looks behind him but Light, who smiles at him. "What is it, Chan?"

"I heard someone just outside the boulders earlier. He was talking about something like meeting on a rendezvous point."

Light's face falls into seriousness, considering what Chan said. Seungkwan speaks up, but he doesn't look at the youngest. "Did you see what he looked like?" At that, everyone looked at Chan suddenly, so the youngest quickly got flustered due to the attention being shifted to him all of a sudden.

"U-um, no, actually but I heard a—" Soonyoung cuts him before he finishes. "You're probably seeing things. Must be from the stress because you're always training your powers." Soonyoung spares a single glance before he lies back down on Seokmin's lap.

Seokmin smirks, "Soonie's right, Chan. Rest up on training, nobody's competing with you."

_ Soonie? When the fuck did that happen? _ Chan screams internally. 

"I'm not competing with anyone! I really heard it and—" Chan gets cut for the second time when Jisoo yawns loudly. "Just sleep Chan, we have a long night later." He lies his head on Jeonghan's shoulders who only glance at Chan shortly.

"Sleep, Dino baby. It's nothing to get worked up on." Jeonghan rests his head on top of Jisoo's and they drift off like that.

Chan could almost cry at how his conversation was dropped like it didn't even matter and how his attempt had clearly failed. Its only saving grace was how Jeonghan still acknowledged him as his baby but he didn't even told Chan to come near him like he always did when they were about to sleep.

However, Light was still looking at Chan with his brows furrowed. "Chan…you really heard that?"

Chan was about to answer, but even he was tired of pushing the conversation. "Maybe they're right. I was just imagining things." Chan smiles bitterly and he lies down on Jihoon's soft feathers, and he pretends to sleep as his thoughts keep him awake. 

* * *

It was nighttime, and the moon shines the way for Jihoon as he flies through the darkness. His massive build became his members' sleeping ground, except for Seungcheol who was keeping him checked as he sat at the crook of Jihoon's feathery nape.

Chan and Light lie awake on their places, their minds drifting off to the topic of the earlier revelation about the stranger behind the barrier. Light stands up and balances himself before he jumps and lets the force of the wind carry him towards the tails of Jihoon's eagle form, where Chan lies. He drops quietly beside the youngest, who yelp in surprise.

"Oh Light, it's just you. Don't wake me up like that, you scared me." Chan sits up to face him, but Light can clearly see through his lie.

"You weren't asleep, soldier. I can sense your aura from the front, that's why I went all the way here. I was also awake because of the disturbance your aura was emitting." Light sits down beside Chan, who is looking more troubled than ever. "I can see you're worried, Chan. You know you can talk to me."

Chan stiffens, knowing that he's bothered the warrior too much because he's left feeling alone and pondering over trivial things. "I'm sorry. You were unable to sleep because of me."

Light smiles, and places a firm hand on the youngest's shoulder. "This isn't about me, Chan. Come talk to me, I can offer you my ears if that'll make you comfortable."

Chan leans into the touch and Light catches him, holding him in a half-embrace where the youngest is pressed close to the warrior's side.

"I've been thinking about earlier, I guess you could say I'm worried. It was real, I heard it. But it was also real when I said that I didn't see someone when I tried peeking. I only heard a howl of wind, like a strange powerful motion before I sneaked in to see the man—"

"Wait, you heard a man?" Light interrupts Chan, who shakes in surprise. Light smiles sheepishly and taps Chan's shoulders slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. It was just that I'm surprised you identified at least a gender." 

Chan relaxes after realizing that he wasn't going to be shut down again. "I think it was a man, because his voice was heavy and commanding. He talked like you, but there's menace in it. He also said something about talking to Cosmos' soldiers."

Light asks again, "Did the stranger mention something about an attack?"

Chan shakes his head, "No. Actually he did mention the opposite. He's like talking to some of his teammates because he was saying not to attack? I can't remember clearly." 

Light is tense, he senses an encounter, but he isn't nervous for himself. He's nervous because it's the first time the boys will meet Chaos' warriors.

"Chan, I need you to rest up, okay? If what you said is true, then we really need to save our energy."

Chan nods, and Light gives him a firm hold before standing up. But Chan grabs his arms before he could leave. "Can…can you stay here?" Chan gulps, it's the first time in long years that he's asking someone to sleep beside him. Last time he did it was when it was his first day as a trainee in Pledis, when he wasn't really close with the others yet. Now, he's close with everyone, but he feels like he's left behind again.

"Stay here with me, Light. Please?" Chan looks so weak and small compared to the times where his big and powerful movements on the training grounds made him look strong. Light only smiles and nods as he lies down beside the youngest.

"Thank you, Light. I really needed this."

Light takes one look at Chan's vulnerable state and he already knows that Chan has an unresolved problem.

"Are the rest of your companions not giving you attention, Chan?" Chan's eyes glimmer a different shade of weakness as turns around and faces Light.

"I'm that transparent, huh?" Chan gives him a smile, but Light can also see that there's no happiness from it.

Light ruffles Chan's hair in a comforting manner. "Sometimes, being emotional doesn't always mean you are weak."

Light spreads his left arm to cushion Chan's head, and the youngest sighs comfortably. "I just can't help but notice how easily you reacted to my aura. While the members didn't even notice that something was off. I've been friends with them for years, and I only met you for a few weeks. It just doesn't make sense."

Light, for the first time in his life, can't come up with a proper thing to reply. He just looks at Chan with sadness and pity because the boy is just craving for love, which he's being deprived of.

Chan gets closer and almost hugs the warrior, but he hesitates and meets Light's eyes with permission, "I-I'm sorry, can I?"

Light just nods as he lets Chan ensnare him tightly. He pats a rhythm into Chan's back, the rhythm everyone sang in the campfire yesterday, and he lets Chan bury his face near his chest.

"Thank you, Light. For being beside me."

"I'm never leaving, Chan." The younger's approval is muffled due to him being pressed in the warmth of Light's body. For a while, they share an intimate moment, before Chan completely dozes off and his arm slings away from Light's body. The warrior arranges Chan's body as he slept so that he'll feel fine when he wakes up later.

He stares at Chan's face, finally in peace since the talk they had last night.

"Such a precious soul you are, Lee Chan."

Light was supposed to go back to sleep when he senses four familiar auras not far from where they are. He stands up swiftly, all his nerves on high alert. He slowly does a headcount of everyone just to see if anyone could be missing or flying by themselves, since four of them could fly by their own. He counts 12, excluding him and Jihoon, which would mean that everyone was asleep and there are other people in the area.

Meaning that the four are probably Chaos' warriors.

He spots a blinking light in front of them, and they are slowly nearing it as Jihoon flaps his wings. He squints his eyes to see it clearly, and when he does, his eyes widen.

"It's a cell!" He summons Braveheart, the name of his sword, and his lustrous shield as he warns Jihoon. "Jihoon, stop! You can't touch it, it's a trap!"

But Jihoon hears it too late as his wings hit the cell and summons ten light crests that release balls of arcane energy towards Jihoon.

Everyone is awakened by the screeching of Jihoon's beast, and they are all caught in a vulnerable state as the arcane spheres close in on them. Light casts a barrier made of transparent shields to pierce the spheres. He then follows by summoning swords of light that rain down on the light crests, stopping the flow of the attack completely.

"For a master of traps, you're becoming predictable." Light pivots to block an invisible form that attacks him from behind, and he uses the opportunity to use his power to break the invisibility enchantment.

The trap caster's body is revealed in the blink of a light. He wears gold and purple armor decorated with small spikes, purple and white stripes, and demonic faces, including one on his back obscured by his long blonde hair. He wears gauntlets on both hands that sport extended claws. He wears a purple crown with a snake head and a long cape of the same color that flows proud on his back. He has four golden purple-tipped spikes atop his head that are a part of his crown.

Light smirks, "Mateus."

"You will address me as Emperor!" The enemy swings his rod and stuns Light with a land mine that explodes around him. Light successfully defends himself, Jihoon remains unscathed thanks to the hard texture of his beast's hide.

Mateus flies away before the others come to their senses. He knows that he's outnumbered, but due to his megalomaniac demeanor, he wanted to make an appearance. Now that he's finished his entrance, he flies away in hopes to lure the soldiers of Cosmos into thinking he's escaping.

And he succeeds.

"He's escaping! Jihoon, follow him!" Seungcheol commands the beast, who lets out a loud battle cry in return. "Everyone, hold on to his feathers!"

They all grab tight to Jihoon, and thanks to his tough exterior, his feathers aren't easily plucked. Jihoon swoops forward with a flap of his heavy wings and immediately closes the gap between him and the emperor.

Chan notices something off when the emperor glances at them and he sees his lips curl in a menacing smile. 

They're being lured.

"Wait, stop! Guys, he's not fleeing! He's leading us somewhere!" Chan fights with the threshold of the winds that hit them in deadly speeds as Jihoon's wings pull them faster on the night sky. But Seungcheol and Light are too preoccupied with their surprise attacker.

"Minghao, Jisoo, Seungkwan, Soonyoung! Spread out, and attack the enemy!" Seungcheol orders them and they all nod as they jump off of Jihoon. Soonyoung leaves behind a fiery glow as his wings glide him towards the emperor, "Minghao, give me a boost!"

"With pleasure!" Minghao gathers the winds on his palms and pushes it on Soonyoung's feet. The fire wielder lets out a growl as Minghao's air current sends him darting through the clouds and onto the fleeing emperor. He gathers his powers on his wings and flap them hard towards the enemy, releasing fireballs that hone in on the emperor. Mateus sees him, and he evades each fireball with ease.

"The lot of you insects are entertaining." The emperor smirks as he twirls his rod and creates a light crest that fires off countless light projectiles towards Soonyoung. Minghao backs him up as he gathers the winds to form a protective barrier around the older.

Jisoo hovers above them as he simultaneously releases yellow and orange beams towards the emperor. The yellow beams succeed in blinding the emperor, seeing how his moves have faltered. However, he was still powerful since he could still evade Joshua's explosives.

"You insult me by using measly tricks!?" The emperor raises his rod, but before he can cast an attack, a loud crash of thunder resounds from above as Seungkwan bombards him with a lightning blast. His attack successfully lands and the emperor plummets down.

They all follow him, with Jihoon and the rest tailing steady behind them. "Minghao, save him. We can use him to seek answers." Soonyoung commands, and Minghao just dives down towards the plummeting enemy. However, before he could catch the unconscious emperor, somebody snatches him away and saves him from falling directly on the barren ground.

The others see this, and they call for the combatants to return. Jisoo relays the past events, "We tried to attack but he was too powerful. If it wasn't for Seungkwan, we would probably be in trouble."

Light nods but he pats them all on their shoulders. "Nonetheless, all of you did well. The emperor, Mateus, is a formidable foe who's a master of magic and traps. It's a blessing that the lot of you came back unscathed."

Minghao interjects. "There's another one on the ground down there. He saved that emperor from falling."

Seungcheol faces them with determination, "Let's face them. It's about time we started the real thing. We've been training for this for weeks already. Let's not keep them waiting."

Light agrees with him, surprisingly. "Agreed. I'll be there with you every step of the way. Besides, we outnumber them." Jihoon's massive talons connect with the dry ground of the unprotected lands. The environment is non-existent, with the moonlight reaching far and wide through the tree-less terrain. Light jumps down and comes forward to face the four Chaos goons who have come to meet them.

"You never listen, Mateus. I specifically ordered not to instigate an attack!" A large, armored man lets the emperor down from his shoulders, who hits the man with his rod in return.

"I didn't need help! These insects are flailing their magic around like a bunch of drugged moogles. And you will address me as Emperor, you fool!"

Chan hears the armored man's voice, and he realizes that it's the voice he heard earlier behind the boulders. He stands beside Light and whispers, "It's him, Light, his voice sounds familiar. He's the man outside the barriers."

Light gives him a sigh in return, "Figures. Garland always take these initiatives as the leader of Chaos' warriors."

"Garland's his name?" Chan scans the huge, armored man's appearance. The longer he looks, the more Chan realizes that Garland is looking lesser and lesser of a human male. Garland wears a horned helmet with a monstrous design. There are pointed, smaller horns, and his longer horns have blue accents. The helmet reveals bits of Garland's face but the majority of it remains covered. His blank, yellow eyes pierce through the slits of his helm. He wears a dark blue cape and silver armor set that covers his whole body heavily with bits of blue jewels that decorate it. He dons large and pointed pauldrons, and on his right hand, lies a large decorated purple greatsword with golden ornaments and accents.

Chan's almost hurt of how heavy Garland's steps are due to the full weight of the armor bearing down on him with every movement. He shifts closer towards the team, and the rest of his members are on high alert, their powers and auras out for a display of intimidation. 

"Tell your soldiers to calm down, warrior of light. I have no intentions of hurting you or them." Garland's heavy and commanding voice shakes the members, asserting dominance over them. Only Light and Chan remain unmoved.

"Well then, tell that to your own warrior since he's the one who placed the traps and clearly has different intentions from you." Light bites back with a hint of sass. The emperor glares at them from behind, only to be stopped by another fully-armored man who glide closer to them.

"We must apologize for setting the wrong impression to your new batch of soldiers. Such pity for these young men to be put to the battlefield with no experience whatsoever." Chan takes a look at the newcomer, and he's almost ridiculed at how large their enemies are. The man with a much heavier voice, although much calmer than Garland's, is a tall imposing man in dark blue and black armor with gold trimmings and a helmet with tall horns. He sports a cape as dark as the night with blue linings inside it.

"Spare us the folderol, Golbez. Stop patronizing Cosmos and her warriors." Garland's tone is demanding, but Golbez' calmness makes him feel more leader-like than Garland.

"Yeah, almost half of these boys are pure. What was Cosmos thinking?" Another glider comes into the fray, although he's much more poised and graceful than the three. He wears a deep purple bolero jacket held closed by a silver band, with metal pauldrons, white sleeves, and gold lining. His white half-skirt is held by four straps connected to a codpiece. He wears purple fingerless gloves, leggings, and pointed boots. His hair is a mixture of silver and lavender, and strangely so, has feathers. He is also surrounded by five orbs of energy that orbit him in formation and are enchanted with Holy and Flare magic. Similar to how Jisoo's light beams surround him.

"What Cosmos did was to secure the safety of this world to your god's stupidity, Kuja." Light's voice battles the glider's effeminate one. To which Kuja seethes with anger. 

"A nameless warrior deserves to uphold no opinions!"

"He has a name." Wonwoo speaks, and the four enemies in front of them turn their heads towards the unfamiliar voice.

"Oh?" Kuja raises an eyebrow and giggles. "They've given it a name. How adorable." Kuja also notices Jisoo and his seven lights. And his eyes flicker between bewilderment and jealousy. "Cosmos has a magus? Now that's new." He takes a closer look at Jisoo, but Jeonghan blocks him when he gets too close. Kuja sniffs the air, and grimaces. "You smell impure, unlike this one right here." He reaches for Jisoo, but Jeonghan swats his hands away. "Don't touch him!"

Kuja reels back in surprise, "The audacity of this boy!" He laughs, and glides back beside Garland. "Actually, on second thought, I've lost interest. I didn't know Cosmos favored impostors." He smiles proudly when he sees Jisoo stiffen.

"Cut your yapping! We have a mission to carry out and I'm not letting it fail because of you and Mateus' incessant pettiness." Garland pushes Kuja behind them, in which the latter gives him an offending glare, but chooses not to do anything.

"As we were saying, we indeed have a mission. And it involves your soldiers." Golbez' abnormally huge hands gestures to all of Seventeen. Light asks, "What kind of mission is it?"

"A briefing mission from the God of Discord himself." Mateus floats over them, to which the soldiers of Cosmos tense up and prepare for an attack. Mateus laughs at the action, but he does not dwell on it. "Consider yourselves blessed, for the God of Discord wants to meet the fresh batch of Cosmos' pawns. We'll take them to him so that he can formally introduce himself to these young insec—"

Before Mateus can finish, Garland purposely hits him. The emperor and the huge warrior share an intense glare match, before Mateus continues. "As I was saying, Chaos wants to meet these young…_ men _."

Kuja snickers, "That was an excruciating sight."

"Has-beens like you are an excruciating sight." Mateus smirks when Kuja's face reddens with anger. "Who are you calling a—"

"Contain your angers…" Golbez holds Mateus and Kuja in a paralyzed state. "...or I will. And trust me, it would be painful." He releases them both, and they retreat far behind the group, never attempting to talk again.

Light sees this as an opportunity to push the conversation. "Give us a minute to prepare. I can escort them all—"

"You're not included, warrior." Garland gives him a look.

"And why not, may I ask?"

"Chaos specifically tasked us to bring _ only _ the 13 soldiers." Garland holds Light's shoulder in pity. "Apologies, but the god does not like to meddle with nameless beings."

Seungcheol snaps at that, and lashes out. "His name is Light! Get it through your brains if the lot of you even have one!"

Light calms Seungcheol down, who listens and nods but still remains on edge. "I need to come with them, Cosmos ordered me to take care of her soldiers, and that means I have to be present wherever they are."

Garland sighs, almost annoyed. "We also have orders, _ Light._ Lest you forget, that god just fused a part of his flesh inside our own. We're forced to follow him. He's lustful for power, and who knows what fate lies before us if we don't obey."

"We are left with no options. I hope you understand." Golbez reaches out to Light, who ponders over their words. But Light's will is absolute.

"I'm sorry, but I have my own mission. I will not compromise it for your sakes!" Light points his sword at Garland, who guards himself with his own weapon.

The 13 boys behind him also take stand, and Light prepares for an incoming fight. "You'll have to kill me before you get to them."

"With pleasure!" Mateus hits the ground with his rod and a lightning sigil is revealed on the ground where Jihoon stands, still retained on his beast form.

"You can't trick us twice!" Chan slams both of his palms on the ground and raises Jihoon's ground, breaking the trap that could've had Jihoon destabilized. Jihoon nods at Chan with gratitude, and flies off the elevated ground. Simultaneously, the elementalist attacks the emperor by turning the earth around him into sand. It swallows Mateus from the hip, but he breaks through by casting mines to help him destroy the sandy prison.

Wonwoo raises wires from the ground to help Chan in restraining the emperor, and he succeeds as his powers constrict the movement of Mateus in mid-air. He guides the other wires to the rod and seperates it from Mateus. "You're useless without your rod."

"I sincerely hope I was but you are terribly mistaken." Mateus snaps and another lightning sigil appears under Wonwoo's feet. But before it activates, Seungkwan quickly absorbs its power before it electrocutes the older.

"Nice save, Seungkwan!" Wonwoo comments, thankful for the younger. But he focuses his concentration in the wires restraining the enemy.

"You're welcome. Now let's roast his majesty!" Seungkwan redirects the absorbed lightning towards Mateus, but Golbez blocks the attack with a cosmic ray.

"If you are going to dive headfirst into battle, remember that you are fighting 14 people. Surely, you can't be that arrogant, your majesty." Golbez' words drip with sarcasm as he dismantles Wonwoo's hold on Mateus. 

"It was a part of my plan, you insolent prick!" Mateus calls his rod back to him and takes one glance at his savior. "But you have my gratitude, anyways." 

"Lie back, emperor, and let the main actor take care of the introduction!" Kuja rains Flare magic down on Cosmos' soldiers. Seokmin creates a thick wall of ice and calls on Jeonghan before the structure gets higher. "Hyung!" 

"I know!" Jeonghan jumps over the forming wall and opens his hands. A rosy barrier halves the ground where they lie, encasing the soldiers of Cosmos away from Chaos' ones.

"Jeonghan, let me help!" Light joins him on the front line and the mime nods. He enforces Jeonghan's barriers with his own magic, and it grows sturdier. Kuja's bombs blast down on the barrier, but it proves ineffective as Kuja continues bombarding the shield in futility.

"Kuja,halt it! Your magic is doing nothing!" Garland tries stopping him, but Kuja's blinded by the adrenaline so he blasts Garland away using his magic as he laughs maniacally.

"Can't you see? This is the opening act! And openings are not meant to be interrupted!" Kuja is now relentlessly unleashing a magic barrage that violently rocks the barrier, making Jeonghan and Light kneel due to the mere pressure that Kuja is inflicting.

"Jihoon hyung and Seungkwan, time to go high!" Minghao holds Seungkwan's hand and they jump on Jihoon's back. The beast lets out a loud screech as his wings take them high outside the protective barrier. Kuja and the other enemies' sights are blocked by Seokmin's ice tower and Jihoon's black feathers conceal his movements around the night, so they stealthily go up.

"Hyung, on my signal, clap your wings together!" Jihoon's head nods at Minghao's command. His green eyes are pure with havoc as he focuses his powers on the tips of his feathers. Minghao hovers over him and he lets his aura out, the dark blue hue melding with Jihoon's jade one.

"Seungkwan, Jihoon hyung's going to blast the enemies with a sonic barrage. It's going to be immensely loud and it will damage our ear-drums. So I'm gonna need you to use your powers to dull the sound to us and to our friends down there only." Minghao puts emphasis on "only", and Seungkwan immediately nods in understanding.

"Get ready!" Minghao screams. Seungkwan and him glide in midair behind Jihoon as his beast gathers enough power for the incoming blast. Minghao sends a blue sphere of air down to the rest of their companions to signal that they are ready.

Unknown to the four Chaos warriors, Seungcheol and the others have come up with a plan while the opposing team was bickering. They used their enemies' narcissism to their advantage.

Seungcheol screams amidst the chaotic shaking of the terrain due to Kuja's unrelenting will to pierce the barrier. "They're ready! Seokmin and Junhui, get to your positions! The rest of you, prepare for ascension!" Jun joins Seokmin in holding the ice tower, while the others release their auras to commence their plan.

"NOW!" Minghao screams as Jihoon pulls back, and claps his wings together. From the sheer weight and speed of his movements, he breaches the sound barrier, and creates a sonic boom that cleaves the heavens. Minghao screams as he releases a massive wave of wind to strengthen Jihoon's attack. 

Seungkwan grunts as he plucks the soundwaves away from them and his members on the ground. The impact of Jihoon's attack doesn't affect anyone inside Jeonghan and Light's barrier, but Kuja and the others get blown to wide proportions. Seungkwan lets the soundwaves pummel their ears, and the four Chaos warriors find themselves chained to the ground as Minghao's winds attain a new level of pressure that paralyzes them as the impact continues ravishing their bodies.

Thanks to their teamwork, Kuja's attack was halted for a moment. And a moment is all Jeonghan needed.

"Jeonghan, light them up!" Seungcheol screams. Light removes his shields as Jeonghan lets out a strangled cry. His aura explodes as it returns the multitude of energies Kuja released, not knowing that Jeonghan is a mimic. His eyes turn a bright shade of pink, the energy inside him bubbling up and pouring down on the unlucky four.

Mateus sees this and he revels in fascination, uncaring for the looming attack, "They have a mime! Exdeath will enjoy this!"

Kuja hovers, and his anger is at its peak. "Cosmos really loves impostors! How dare that boy copy my powers!"

Before the four could move, Jeonghan has already reflected all the Holy and Flare magic his barrier has absorbed, burning the whole environment in a showcase of multiple explosions. Jeonghan's eyes return to normal, and he faints for a moment due to the immense toll his power has taken from his stamina. Light holds his body and encases both of their bodies in a shield.

Sensing how the explosions have stopped, Seungcheol already knows that Jeonghan's finished attacking, so he commands the team to commence what they have planned. Seokmin breaks the ice wall into sharp icicles that are suspended in midair and he showers it towards the charred battleground, showing no mercy as he pins the icicles deep, one by one.

"Jisoo, help me heal Jeonghan!" Light calls for the magus, and Jisoo kneels down almost immediately as he lets his green beams bathe Jeonghan in a healing glow.

"Hyung, your turn!" Seokmin lets Junhui take the lead as he breaks the icicles. The ice infested ground soon turns into a flooded area as Junhui transforms Seokmin's power to his own. He expands the volume of the water and he swirls it, creating a devastating whirlpool that sucks the four enemies helplessly in a deluge.

"Hansol, take us high!" Seungcheol materializes his black sword and prepares for the second phase of their plan. Hansol nods, and his right hand releases a familiar amethyst-colored smoke that transforms into a katana. Hansol slashes the ground and he creates a portal that places them in the skies right above Junhui's savage waters.

Seungcheol briefs the team once more before they dive. "Remember, we take them from above, where they least expect it. We split up in teams and attack each of them seperately. Soonyoung and Chan will take Golbez. Me and Wonwoo will take Garland and the emperor. Hansol and Mingyu, make sure that Kuja is distracted. That way, we can overwhelm them at the same time."

Chan suggests something, seemingly unsure of their plan. "Split up? We have to take them as a team, hyung! Just one of them is powerful enough to handle the 13 of us, only Light can handle them one-on-one. We can't underestimate—"

Chan has lost count of the times he's been interrupted today, but Seungcheol does it anyways. "No, Chan, it's all part of the plan. If we follow it, we'll succeed, okay? Now, let's go!"

Mingyu and the others enter the portal, Chan soon follows but he's really skeptical. As soon as he jumps, the environment changes from dry grounds to the evening sky.

Chan grabs some pebbles from his pockets and he enlarges it into humongous boulders. Soonyoung flaps his wings and coats the boulders with smoldering flames. Mingyu releases all of his weapons and they all line perfectly around him, while Wonwoo adds to the team by releasing spikes of metals.

Seungcheol waits, and waits, and takes his time falling alongside his members until they're in the right distance. And then, he screams. Junhui hears it, and he evaporates the waters into thin air, leaving the four drenched Chaos warriors open in the field.

"DISPERSE!" Seungcheol screams, and the rest of the members mimic the war cry as they seperately bring their powers down. Soonyoung and Chan attack Golbez with their improvised meteors, Seungcheol envelopes Wonwoo's blades with his dark magic and they shower Garland and the emperor with it. Mingyu uses his weapons to surf the air and Hansol follows him by halving the grounds with his amethyst blade beams as they simultaneously deliver blow after blow towards Kuja, who was having a hard time keeping up.

Chan notices that the four enemies, surprisingly, are trying their hardest to keep up. The all-powerful emperor is on his knees, blocking Wonwoo's attacks when just earlier, he had no trouble using his powers while Wonwoo was restraining him. Garland who survived one powerful Flare magic from Kuja, was struggling to keep up with Seungcheol's dark magic. Kuja had no trouble releasing Holy and Flare bombs earlier, but now, he can't even fly and block some of Mingyu's swords and Hansol's blade beams.

And he takes a closer look at Golbez, who paralyzed Mateus and Kuja with one hand earlier, even threatening them to the extent where both of his teammates kept quiet in fear. But now, all he can see is how Golbez is trying his best to evade most of Soonyoung's fireballs and fire spouts.

Then, Chan sees it, the slightest bit of haze, like a glitch in the system. He's sure that Soonyoung's fire touched Golbez' cape, but it passes through like he's an apparition. Like he isn't there. 

They were tricked.

He frantically screams, "Stop the attack, it's not real!"

* * *

Before Jeonghan attacked, a different scene had happened entirely among the four warriors of Chaos.

"Cosmos really loves impostors! How dare he copy my move!" Kuja spits. But Garland ignores him and steps up front. He takes hold of his sword's hilt and he throws it to the side, revealing a chain that extends his weapon as a whip. He gives it a tug, and the blade bites the ground steadily. Seeing this, Garland carves a protective circle around the four of them and uses his power to conceal the team beneath the grounds. When they're deep underneath the earth, he commences his plan. "Golbez, time for some illusions."

Golbez nods and conjures afterimages of him, Mateus, Kuja, and Garland back on the surface, tricking the warriors of Cosmos into believing that they are attacking the four and that their plan has succeeded.

"Insolent humans. To think that they nearly bested us is already an insult." Kuja dusts his clothes and grimaces at the wounds he got due to Jihoon's attack. "I swear when I get my hands on that bird…"

"You will, Kuja." Golbez swipes his hand and creates a portal. "This portal will lead us behind the ice wielder's tower. We'll be far enough and the lot of them won't be cautious because they're too caught up in battling us. Well, at least that's what they think."

Kuja grins and floats towards the portal. Mateus walks calmly but he acknowledges Golbez and Garland's wit. "Such foil-proof machinations will take you high, Garland. And excellent teamwork with Golbez. Even I approve of it, consider yourselves blessed."

"Your blessing? That's worrisome." Garland remarks, which gets him a glare from the emperor.

They come out from a safe distance where the carnage was happening, and they witness all the powers of the boys being wasted in a futile attempt.

"I must say, their powers are really potent. Five of them are pure souls so it's a given. But the other seven are already tainted so it's a surprise that their powers are still on this level." Golbez comments as he watches the on-going battle.

Kuja snickers, "You kid me, Golbez. They don't possess anything extraordinary. Although that magus really intrigues me."

Mateus joins the talk, "I, for one, can't wait to see what Exdeath would do to that mime. It's been a long time since he's played with one."

Garland walks forward and attempts to leave the three behind, "If the three of you plan on indulging yourselves into small talks, then I'll carry the plan forward by myself."

The three follow him, and they set out to target the huge beast first. They wait and hide among the shadows as the beast and his two companions come down to the ground.

"Hyung, rest up. We'll help the rest of the members." Minghao and Seungkwan leave Jihoon behind, and he decides that it would be best for him to transform back into his human form. Jihoon is exhausted from all the flying he did in the past hours, and retaining his beast forms are really taxing to his stamina so he lets his aura blanket him as he imagines his human form come to life.

It's still painful without Seungcheol's help, and he badly misses the older's aura. But he grits his teeth and just struggles through it. Once he's finished reverting to his original form, he twists his ring and changes back to his travel clothes.

Unknown to him, Mateus has already cast a lightning sigil under his feet, and it fills his body with burning pain as the emperor electrocutes his body.

Back at the battleground, Chan has successfully called off their attack, and they were dumbfounded to see their four enemies moving by themselves even thougg no one is attacking them. It's like they were watching a programmed holographic show.

"I can't believe we fell for that. Did they already escape?" Soonyoung grunts in disbelief, his annoyance growing as the fake images continue moving.

"Probably. Thanks for being quick, maknae." Seungcheol ruffles Chan's hair, and the youngest smiles as he finally makes contact with his members.

Minghao and Seungkwan join them, but are surprised to see that the battle has completely stopped. Seokmin and Junhui follow suit, and they react similarly.

"Long story short, we were tricked. They're probably far away now, but thankfully none of us were hurt too bad." Hansol recaps, and the newcomers nod in understanding.

Seokmin huffs, "Well, Jeonghan hyung fainted earlier. I don't blame him though. That glider really gave him a hard time."

Junhui smirks, "Good thing he gave that Kuja a run for his money. He should've seen his face." 

The others smile and some of them let out huffs of exhausted laughs. But they revel in the small respite they have gained.

"Where's Jisoo hyung?" Chan notices the absence of some of their members, and it starts to worry him.

"Oh he's with Light. They're taking care of Jeonghan." Jun answers, and Chan finally calms down as his worries fade.

"What about Jihoon?" Seungcheol asks this time, and Chan's worry grows back faster. Last time he saw Jihoon was during the sonic boom he made during the battle.

"Oh, he's right behind Light and the others. We asked him to rest—" Wonwoo doesn't wait for Seungkwan to finish as he practically runs away like his life depended on it.

"Wait, Wonwoo where are you going!?" Mingyu shouts, but Wonwoo's too far for him to hear Mingyu.

By the time the sigil disappears, Jihoon has already fainted from the tremendous pain. Mateus pokes him on his side, and he smiles when Jihoon doesn't react. "A shapeshifter. How amusing."

Kuja tries kicking the small body, "Yeah, Cosmos really likes hiring a circus to protect her."

Garland picks Jihoon up and rests the boy's body on his shoulders. "This should suffice. One warrior is better than none." Golbez nods and he opens a dark portal back to their sanctuary.

"Well, would you like if it we had two?" The emperor smirks as he sees Wonwoo sprinting towards them.

"Let him go!" Wonwoo's metal breaks the earth and they extend to attack the four in an attempt to rescue Jihoon. But Golbez redirects the metal and holds out a hand to paralyze Wonwoo. He calls the boy's body to him and he stares at his eyes. Where he expected fear to look back at him, all Golbez sees is pure, unwavering will.

"As I've said, it's such a pity. Nonetheless, very admirable." Golbez takes him, and Wonwoo remains paralyzed in his hold.

"No…no! No, let them go!" Mingyu's voice is strong, but his will is shaking as he sees Wonwoo being held by one of their enemies in such state. Seungcheol also sprints past him and throws his sword so that he can use his warp ability to hasten the chase.

No words were said, but the emperor's smirk is something to remember as the portal closes. Seungcheol warps even though his sword is still spinning on air, and he successfully does. But there's no sign of Jihoon, Wonwoo, and their four nemesis anywhere. He tumbles down on the ground, and he lies there unmoving as he rejects the reality that two of his members are gone.

They were too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry 😞


	9. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is agitated and worried upon Jihoon and Wonwoo's abduction, and Light takes the brunt of the blame.
> 
> Meanwhile on the northern continent, the two members are presented to the God of Discord himself.

"I'm afraid I'm unsure of the reasons why you chose them, Cid." Cosmos' voice echoes through the sanctuary, with nothing but the sounds of the rippling waters accompanying it throughout the empty haven. "They are men of very little exposure to war and its wickedness. Why them?"

Cid replies in the form of an unseen force parting the skies for his voice to be heard. "The reasons I have are because of the fact that those thirteen men all love each other equally. I've seen their souls, Cosmos, and they're all beautiful and the purest I've seen in Earth's humans. Some of them are impure, yes, but their impurities are among the least vile, and that's what made me choose them, because their bond can just be what this forsaken world needs."

The light of the heavens bathe Cosmos, and she takes the man's words to heart. "I've seen firsthand what they're capable of. They do not shy away from their true intentions, and there's beauty in it. One of then even tried to question me if I was telling the truth." Cosmos smiles at the memory of the boys' first time in the sanctuary.

"They are bold, compassionate, and persevering. Yes, they have their flaws, but their flaws are what make their unity strong because they tend to each others' weaknesses." The sheer weight of Cid's voice reverberates calmly in the silence of the sanctuary, and Cosmos can tell by his tone that the man was smiling wherever he was.

"However, what are we going to do when Chaos starts his plot? We all know that one look is what it takes before he starts wanting them. They are earthlings, Cid. Young, innocent, and powerful earthlings." Cosmos breath shudders at the mere thought of his soldiers being taken by the god of discord. "He's going to want them as his soldiers."

Before Cid could speak, their conversation gets interrupted by the sanctuary's gate being opened by Light, the boys all following behind him.

"Soldiers!" Cosmos stands up and glides immediately towards Light, who is carrying an unconscious Jeonghan on his sturdy arms.

Cosmos takes one look on all of their expressions and she already knows. "You were ambushed."

Light nods, his face pensive. "Yes, my lady. And they have taken two of our companions, Jihoon and Wonwoo."

"What about him? Is he damaged?" Cosmos kneels and caresses Jeonghan's forehead, Jisoo kneels beside them and comfortably rubs circles on Jeonghan's head, the older's hair rustling quietly.

"Fortunately, no, Cosmos." Jisoo states, "He fainted due to overexertion of his powers."

Cosmos nods and uses her powers to replenish the mage's strength. Jeonghan's body glows and sparkles with the goddess' healing magic, and he wakes up immediately.

"Jeonghan!" Jisoo wraps him in a tight hug, and Jeonghan grimaces at how the younger was trapping him but he smiles, nonetheless. "Hey there, Shua."

Jisoo smiles at the nickname and he helps him stand back on his feet. Light lays a hand on Jeonghan's shoulder and asks, "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

"I feel pretty much like myself, thanks." Jeonghan smiles and hugs Light. The warrior was taken aback, but he returns the hug with a bit of cute awkwardness.

Jeonghan lets him go, "Did anything happen after I fainted?" He looks at the rest of his members and notices something odd. "Where's Jihoon and Wonwoo?"

Nobody replies, and the tension in the air suddenly rises as he looks at everyone sporting the saddest they could look. "You know what, forget I said anything. I—"

"They were kidnapped, Jeonghan." Seungcheol comes forward and tries to calm him down, but tears are already pouring out of Jeonghan's eyes. "Tell me it's not true...please..." Jeonghan looks each member in their eyes, and all bare the truth of the grim news that Jeonghan denies.

"W-we should get them back! We can't–we can't just leave them! What if they kill them?!" Jeonghan sputters on Seungcheol's shirt as the older hugs him, comforting the younger as he spills all the tears.

"We will, Jeonghan." Light pats Jeonghan's back from behind. "But we have to plan how to rescue them. We can't just barge directly towards their sanctuary. Going there without a solid, well-thought plan of attack will ensure our deaths."

"I don't care!" Jeonghan shouts. He feels sorry for Light as he looks at the warrior's shocked face, but what matters most to him right now is Jihoon and Wonwoo's safety. "I don't care if we don't have any plans because before we even come up with something, two of the most important people in my life might be already dead!"

"Jeonghan please, calm down." Light tries to reassure him, and Jeonghan calms down immediately, but this time, Seungcheol is the one that lashes out.

"Bullshit. How can we calm down when Jihoon and Wonwoo are probably being hurt by Chaos and his army of bastards!?" He snickers but his smile is full of venom. "We never wanted any of this, but just because it benefits your world, you don't care if any of us dies, do you?"

Light frowns but he still tries reasoning with the boys. "No, I don't. They matter to me just as much as—"

He gets interrupted again by Mingyu. "Can you shut up for once!? How can you care when you've literally cared for no one in the past? You let all of your comrades die because you didn't care, right? If you think that you can do that to us then you're severely mistaken! We don't care about a fucking plan, we're saving them right now!"

Jisoo and Jeonghan, surprisingly, try to hold them back, their other members also try to help "Cheol, Gyu, please calm down!" Jeonghan also looks at Light who is clearly pondering over what the two have said. "Light, I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. They're just emotional too, they didn't mean it."

Seungcheol and Mingyu continue to rant and blame Light and Cosmos for their friends' situation, but Light has stopped listening and has already shut their voices off after Mingyu brought up the sensitive topic.

When the rest of them have successfully made the two simmer down, Light gives them all a pained look. "Are you all done?"

When no one answered, Light continues to talk. "I thought everyone understood my regrets. Turns out it was a mistake entrusting you all with that sentiment. Have you forgotten the part where I blame myself everyday for what happened to my past comrades? Because the moment when you told me that Jihoon and Wonwoo were taken, do you know how it felt?"

Light never raised his voice, not even once. But his calmness is what makes it hit harder for the members, especially Seungcheol and Mingyu.

"I keep thinking that I should've been beside Jihoon. Or rather that I could've stopped Wonwoo so he wouldn't get caught, too. I even thought that maybe instead of them, it should've been me because I keep thinking that it would be better for everyone if I was the one who could be killed because I have no family waiting for me. But, no, you all just thought about yourselves but not me because what? Because I'm not a friend? Because I'm just an emotionless warrior?"

Light takes a deep breath and composes himself. He doesn't cry, but the boys in front of him are all teary and struggling not to let their tears out. "I'll forever be thankful for all of you because you gave me an identity I can take for myself, but if you had such vile thoughts of me then maybe you should take back the name you gave to me. You are all precious to me, but it's fine even if some of you are not willing to return my feelings. It's just saddening because I thought we were all becoming friends."

Chan sobs and he holds Light's hand. "Light, no, please we're sorry. You're our friend. We're your friends. They didn't mean what they said!" 

"We should stop talking about me and start planning to rescue Jihoon and Wonwoo. Every moment counts." Light gently takes Chan's hands off his and smiles at the youngest. "You're still my friend, Chan. I'm just disappointed." 

He opens the portal gates of the sanctuary and walks toward it, but he takes a look back and leaves one more message. 

"By the way, Chan saw all of this coming. He heard Garland outside our barriers before we left, and he also noticed that the emperor was leading us to the other warriors when we thought he was fleeing. He was also the first one to discover Golbez' illusions and he also told you all to attack together so that you can keep your eyes to each others' backs. It was disappointing how Chan's your friend but none of you even reacted to the distress in his aura earlier except me."

The rest of his members look at Chan, and the youngest crumbles down due to the sudden shift of attention towards him. But he feels thankful for Light. 

"Maybe you should all start listening carefully to the youngest rather than neglecting him." Light steps towards the portal but Chan shouts at him.

"Where are you heading, Light?" 

"I'm gonna set a camp where we can plan. You could all stay here and rest until you feel like getting out. Cosmos can activate the portals again if you want." Light exits the portal but before he closes it, he addresses the members one more.

"And refrain from calling me Light. I don't deserve a name."

* * *

"Nice going, both of you. Way to shame the man who protected us all this time!" Seungkwan yells as they sit around Soonyoung's fire. They have all come out of the sanctuary by apologizing to Cosmos for what Mingyu and Seungcheol had said to her. Cosmos easily forgave them, saying that she had never found the will to surmise anger. They find themselves in a shore just meters away from the place where the skirmish happened. Light has already set their tents and the barrier, but the warrior never spoke to them. He only talked to them when he asked the members if they are ready to plan, but he retreated back to the shore with a nod when they told him that they were still going to rest for a bit.

Seungcheol and Mingyu sit at the ground with the other members towering over them. Both of their heads are down in shame and regret.

"I know that you guys feel bad because Jihoon and Wonwoo are very special to you, but what you did back there was two steps beyond stupid and childish. You really need to start thinking that it's not only both of you who are feeling this way. We're still Jihoon and Wonwoo's friends, and Light has always looked out for them during our trainings to make sure they weren't hurt, especially Jihoon." Jisoo crosses his arms and sighs as he looks at the two who were still quiet.

Jeonghan steps beside him and takes him away from the mess, "Jisoo, come with me for a bit. I'm going to set some barriers, too. The enemies might ambush us while we sleep, so…" Jeonghan scratches his head and smiles, "I guess I don't want that to happen after the events earlier."

Jisoo laughs and lets himself be taken away by the older as he hears the rest of his members rain Seungcheol and Mingyu with scolding.

Jeonghan holds his hand as they walk towards the end of Light's barrier. He smiles at the youngest, who returns the notion with a sweet one. They stay in the quietness of their surroundings, the only sound being the strange whirring of the magic dancing on the barrier, and the two boys' heartbeats.

Jeonghan touches the barrier, and releases his magic, letting it blend with Light's own and fortifying it further. Its rosy hue gives it a comforting and safe color, and Jisoo smiles at it because he's going to be reminded of Jeonghan everytime he looks at the barrier. He's going to constantly remember that Jeonghan's magic is always there around him, protecting him and his members from harm. 

"You're very special, Jeonghan. You're always protecting us, even though we can't protect you." Jisoo clamps his hands tighter, and the older responds just the same. He smiles at Jisoo, but he shakes his head.

"Not quite. Wonwoo and Jihoon protected me tonight. One could only wonder what could've happened if they weren't around." Jeonghan shakes, and Jisoo can feel it through the jitter of the hand he's holding. Jeonghan sighs and uses his free hand to prevent his tears from falling again.

"Jeonghan, come here." Jisoo gently raises his hands to encase the older in a warm hug. Jeonghan tenses for a while, but he soon wraps his arms around Jisoo and relaxes in his cage. He lets out a soft sob and cries silently as he buries his head in the younger's shoulder. "Don't cry, Hannie. I'm here."

"I feel so useless right now, Shua." Jeonghan's voice is weak, and raspy as he randomly intakes air that he releases in broken sobs. "I could've protected Jihoon and Wonwoo. They've been hurting the most when using their powers, and I could've done something. I knew I would've made things different but I–I couldn't because I was too weak ." 

Jisoo holds him closer, "No, you're not. Do not even start blaming yourself, okay? You were the reason why the rest of us are here. You were the reason why they failed, Jeonghan. You were the most powerful among us, earlier. When the rest of us were too scared to move, you were the one who put yourself forward to cast protection."

Jeonghan shakes his head vehemently, "No, Shua, they didn't fail! They got two of our members, o-our friends! Shua, I don't know what I'll do if they die!" 

"They won't." Jisoo breaks the hug to look Jeonghan on his eyes. "As I've said before, you were the reason why they failed. They were supposed to take us all, but they didn't, and that's the reason why we have a chance to rescue Jihoon and Wonwoo."

At his words, Jeonghan relaxes. Jisoo smiles and wipes the tears off the older's features. Under the faint glow of the moonlight and the pink hue surrounding them, Jeonghan looked beautiful to Jisoo's eyes.

He traces Jeonghan's cheeks with his hands, but the older can see the falter in his movements, as if he was unsure and afraid of what might follow beyond it, so he presses his face closer to the warmth of Jisoo's soft hands. Jisoo notices this and smiles warmly at the man who is nuzzling his hand.

"How can you never get tired of me, Jisoo?" Jeonghan asks him, and the younger is slightly shocked at the loss of his nickname on Jeonghan's lips. "I always submerge myself in self-pity, and blame myself for everything. Most people find that trait to be my worst flaw and they make me feel bad for it so I could change. But with you…" Jeonghan breaks his sentence to put his own hand up and trace Jisoo's beautiful face, embedding every inch to the memory of his fingertips, "...with you, I just feel so loved . You never made me feel bad, and you've never asked me to change. I feel so much love that I'm willing to change myself for you, because I hate it when I'm like this and you're just stuck with my sucky attitude."

"That's because I never wanted you to change, Jeonghan." Jisoo doesn't use the nickname, too. His name falls off Jisoo's lips so intimately that Jeonghan's breath hitches at the way Jisoo says his name. "I've come to love you for who you are, and I'll continue loving you for it."

Jeonghan understands, but there's a dark corner in his heart that assumes the worst, so he has to make sure. "Do you mean love as in…like, a friend?"

Jisoo giggles, and he nuzzles his head to the hand holding it. He comes forward, uses his other hand to place a comforting cage on Jeonghan's waist as he pulls him closer, and softly peppers the hand on his cheeks with chaste kisses.

"I'm willing to be more than a friend if you'd like me to be."

Jeonghan gasps, not in disbelief, but because of the overwhelming display of emotions bubbling up inside him. He realizes Jisoo has confessed, the boy who has always been there when he was crying himself to sleep when they were still trainees, who was there for him when his first heartbreak arrived, who held him when he was afraid of slipping up their live performances, and the Jisoo who was always by his side, carrying him when he was down.

He's reminded of all the times Jisoo was beside him, and he's emotional as he realizes that he witnessed Jisoo from being a strange, foreign boy, transform himself into the reliable man he is tonight.

"I can't believe it. You're all mine." Jeonghan leans forward and kisses him sweetly, his tears forming a wet pattern on his cheeks once more as he continues kissing Jisoo with all the love he has. "Jisoo…Shua, my baby. You're finally mine." He gives one last kiss to his lips, and Jisoo presses back with a smile. This might be the longest Jeonghan has kissed anyone, and he's glad that Jisoo holds that record and will probably hold that record for the longest time. He hugs Jisoo and closes his eyes, praying to the heavens to never wake him up if this is just a dream. 

And he's proven wrong again, because Jisoo's hug feels too real to be fake. Jisoo presses his lips on the skin of Jeonghan's nape, and he buries his nose on it, taking all of his man's smell.

"I'm yours, Hannie, just as much as you are mine. We'll be each others', and I'll gladly take the risk we're bound to face, because where you are is where I should be."

Jeonghan literally forgot that they lived in a severely judgmental and homophobic country, and the darkest parts of his mind and heart take hold of him for a moment. But Jisoo looks at him and he is filled with light and optimism, so he throws it all behind him because he knows that when the time comes, Jisoo will be right by his side to overcome all tribulations.

For tonight, Jeonghan knows that they will rescue Jihoon and Wonwoo, because both of them trust their members enough to not let them down. And Jeonghan knows so, because when you have people like Jisoo beside you, things are always bound to turn out good in the end. So he throws all his worries aside, and takes his time in what's happening in front of him now.

_Right here, I'll promise you somehow, that tomorrow can wait for some other day to be._

_'Cause right now, there's you and me._

* * *

Jihoon feels himself lying down on a jagged surface, the roughness of it clawing slightly on his skin. He opens his eyes, and squints at the darkness that meets him even though his eyes are wide open. His eyes seek the faintest sign of brightness to acquaint himself to wherever he is, but his grogginess was short-lived.

"Jihoon!" Someone grabs his body, and he jerks away, but he soon recognizes the concerned voice in the dark. "I thought you were dead, oh God."

"W-wonwoo?" Jihoon doesn't say much due to Wonwoo squishing him in a hug. But he returns it and pats the man on his back.

"Where are we? Where are the others? Did we defeat the enemies?" Jihoon's croaks, and Wonwoo is taken aback because Jihoon doesn't remember what happened. 

"Jihoon…we're—" Wonwoo gets cut by a loud clang. He looks forward, and there's a very faint orange light coming from outside of whatever place they are. But he already knows they're somewhere unfamiliar, because he notices the metal bars caging them from the outside world.

They're in a prison cell.

A man sits, or rather slumps down rather brashly, outside their cell, his back facing them as he rests his body on the cold metal. He wears black shorts with an orange and red sash over his right leg. On his head lies a red bandanna, and a metal gauntlet on his left arm. Wonwoo also notices the large black sword perched beside him, and he reckons that it was the thing that made the loud noise earlier. His back is facing them so his facial features are not exposed, but one can see that he's not entirely human. There are spikes protruding from his skin under his sash and from his left shoulder, right beside the plates of his gauntlet.

His voice is heavy and husky, but has a rowdy, playful tone to it as he addresses the two prisoners. "So you're Cosmos' new warriors, huh?"

Jihoon and Wonwoo are cautious, but they answer anyways. The older takes the initiative, "Seeing that you needed to ensure that we are, then I assume you're on the opposing side."

"Astute observation, boy." He tilts his head towards them, and Wonwoo sees the glint in his eyes' red irises. It scares Jihoon, but he also sees an undertone of gentleness in it. "Unfortunately, I am on the opposing side. I'm tired of these beings and their audacity to just summon people to do their bidding."

Jihoon catches up on the stranger's words, "Unfortunately?" 

The enemy shifts his position, and Wonwoo immediately puts himself in front of Jihoon. The stranger smiles, but he sits down again as he faces them. Wonwoo sees him clearly due to the faint light that serves as their only source of sight, and he notices that the stranger is topless, his torso covered with scars and a huge tattoo.

"You heard that right, kid. It is really unfortunate since I don't wanna stain my hands anymore. But that stupid god caught me off-guard and now I got his own flesh inside me. I feel fucking disgusting." The stranger stands up and grabs his sword. "Now I gotta do his bidding or I'm in for a world of hurt."

"I assume that means you're here to kill us." Jihoon speaks, his voice trembling but his face remains stoic as he tries to mask his fear. Jihoon doesn't feel like dying right now.

The stranger gives him a look that teeters between concern and pity, "Sorry, kid, but killing both of you would be mercy compared to what that wretched demon will do."

"Jecht! What's taking you so looooooong!?" a loud blast makes the two boys cover their ears due to the sudden shift in the volume of their environment.

"That pesky demon is losing his brains already! Get these boys out and—" The newcomer stops as he enters in the limited view that Jihoon and Wonwoo are getting due to the small space they're getting from their cell. His clothing is colorful with a variety of polka-dots and stripes with red and yellow being predominant in the fabrics. He has blond hair, partnered with white and red facial makeup. His lips are outlined in purple like a jester's, and he grins at both boys with malice dripping from the giggle that follows.

"Ohhh, the smell of purity…" He laughs maniacally as he explodes the metal bars of the cell. Wonwoo protects Jihoon as he uses his powers to suspend the shrapnels in air.

The jester glides and grabs them both on the collars of their clothes, not noticing Wonwoo's aura. He lifts them and uses his nose to sniff closely at the crook of both boys' necks. His eyes turn white as he moans insanely. Jihoon is now trembling under him and Wonwoo is trying to be strong since he is the older one, but the way the insane jester looks at them both is making his bone chill.

"You both reek of innocence! Oh, imagine what I'd give to have you both as mine ." He cackles, and glides so fast, Jihoon's neck is almost caught in a whiplash. If it weren't for Jecht, the other enemy, putting a safe hand in both of their napes, Wonwoo's sure that the younger would probably have his neck broken. 

Jecht tumbles on the brown soil outside as the jester suddenly skids himself to a stop. He throws both boys on the ground, and strangely arranges his garments which were creased due to Jecht saving both boys' necks.

"YOU RUINED MY GARB!"

"Yeah, and your soul's also getting ruined if you become reckless in handling these boys, Kefka! Remember what Chaos said!"

The jester, Kefka, just shakes his hair and glides forward, "Ugh, I lost my mood."

Jecht shakes his head as he cleans the soil that's stuck on his skin. Wonwoo helps Jihoon up, and they follow Jecht. However, Jihoon clamps up in fear and stays frozen when he examines their surroundings.

"This is hell, Wonwoo." He looks at the dark skies spewing meteors everywhere, and the charred ground of soil covers the vast land. There are no landforms of any sorts, but it's populated with sword-like structures as huge as a building. He looks back and realizes that their prison cell was inside one of the hundreds of swords decorating the hellish background.

"I know, but we can't do anything for now. We can only hope for the best." Wonwoo gulps, swallowing his fear in hopes of comforting Jihoon and himself. As far as he sees it, it's very ineffective.

"Wonwoo, I'm…I'm scared." Jihoon is shaky as he fists the fabric of Wonwoo's clothes. His tears cascade on his face as the very thought of death enters his mind. "I…I miss our members. I miss Light. I—I don't wanna go, hyung." Jihoon buries his face on Wonwoo's neck as he sobs. Wonwoo rarely hears Jihoon use the "hyung"card on him, except for the times where Jihoon is just so emotional after long nights of staying cooped up inside his studio. Jihoon never calls anyone among them his hyung, he only uses that word in times of great distress, so the fact that Jihoon just did that also makes the older teary. He badly wants to cry, but he must remain strong for Jihoon. He hugs the younger, and comforts him even though he knows he's lying to both of them. "I know, Jihoon. But we have to obey, maybe nothing wrong might happen."

Jihoon surprisingly nods, he takes deep breaths and wipes his eyes as he tries recomposing himself. Their eyes lock for a bit and they walk forward, following Jecht as he leads them up on a long set of stairs littered with decorations of anguished faces. Some parts of it are charred, maybe due to the firestorm that's constantly damaging the lands.

At the top of the stairs is a circular arena where the ten opposing warriors are all stuck in a bowing position. At the far edge of the area, lies Chaos, a muscular dark red four-armed fiend with wings sprouting from his back and demonic faces on his knees sitting on his throne. He has a long tail and several horns, the most prominent of which are two red horns that curve into the air. He stands up and walks towards the two boys, his eerily disturbing loincloth and red amulet swaying ever-so-slightly upon every step he takes.

Both boys freeze in fear as Jecht bows and presents them in front of the demon. "Your majesty. Kuja, Garland, Golbez, and the emperor bring you warriors from Cosmos' side."

The demon stands up, and he flexes his fingers as he opens his hands. One by one, the warriors beside them all spring up from their crouched stances. Chaos stops in front of the two boys, and lays his huge hands on Jihoon's head. Upon the contact, Jihoon visibly jerks. Chaos lets out a snicker as he uses the sharp nails of his hands to thread Jihoon's tousled hair back. He speaks, and his voice is an unholy offspring of bedlam and evil.

"Such pretty faces." He faces Wonwoo next, who tenses at the look the god was giving him. Chaos takes hold of Wonwoo's chin and tilts his head up, locking eyes with the boy. His grin shows the wholeness of his sharp teeth in an unnerving display, and it drains Wonwoo of all color on his face.

The god leans closer and sniffs the air between Jihoon and Wonwoo. "Such purity and innocence. Both of you are practically dripping with it."

He lets both of them go as his laugh slowly grows louder and malicious. He addresses his warriors, specifically Mateus and Garland, "Powers?"

"The taller one's a manipulator of metal, and the other's a shapeshifter." Garland answers.

The emperor interjects beside him, "The taller one wields a grey chalcedony gem stone, and the smaller wields a serpentine. Those rings are imbued with Cosmos' magic and a simple fusion between their souls provide them with powers."

Seeing the small talk, Wonwoo takes the opportunity to tend to Jihoon who was left shaken by Chaos. He gives him a one-armed hug, patting his back softly and uses his other hand to wipe Jihoon's tears using his sleeves. "Stay calm, Jihoon. I'm right here with you." Jihoon nods and he uses his own hands to get the tears away from his eyes. 

Chaos looks at both boys and ponders over the sight of affection. But he only smiles and carries out the plan he has for the two. "Bind them."

His warriors disperse to separate both boys from each other, and Wonwoo puts himself in front of Jihoon. "No, please! Don't hurt him!"

Kefka opens his hands and slams Wonwoo with a magic that instantly brings him gravitating towards the rusty ground. He tries fighting the power, but the gravity is tremendous and pulls every end of his nerves to a crisp heaviness.

"Hyung, no!" Golbez takes Jihoon away from Wonwoo, but he's giving Golbez a hard time because he keeps trying to break away from the hold that Golbez was caging him in. "Stop, please! Don't hurt him!"

Wonwoo was now on his back, his body splayed on the metallic surface. Jihoon successfully breaks out of Golbez' hold, but he doesn't use his powers to hold the boy in paralysis seeing that the boy was under intense stress and sadness.

The emperor sees this, and goes beside Chaos to purposely sell Golbez out. "Is that sentiment I'm seeing, Golbez?" 

Golbez was never given time to reply as Chaos immediately hears what Mateus has said and contorts Golbez' body back into the bowing stance they were held in earlier. He pushes Golbez back at the sidelines and takes the matters to his own accord as he casts Jihoon's mobility obsolete. Before Jihoon could reach Wonwoo, he falls flat on his face, his body unable to do anything his mind commands it to do. Chaos laughs darkly as he gets down on all fours and crawls towards Jihoon. "Stupid boy, don't you know you're making this harder for you and your companion?"

Jihoon only grunts as he struggles to move, but his eyes widen in horror as Chaos tears the fabric of his clothes open, exposing his back. 

"W-what are you—AH!" Jihoon screams as he feels Chaos' nails pierce his skin. Chaos' grin grows wider as he presses all four of his hands to pierce the back of the poor boy. His spine makes a loud pop as it cracks under the intensity of Chaos' hold and he screams vehemently.

"STOP, YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM!" Wonwoo screams as he hears his friend's blood-curdling cries for help. He's unable to see what was happening, but from the sheer volume of Jihoon's voice, he can almost say Jihoon's being tortured. 

"PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM, PLEASE! JIH—" His voice fades suddenly. Wonwoo is puzzled as he opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

Kefka appears above him, levitating. He grins maniacally as he finishes placing a silencing curse upon Wonwoo. "You're a good boy, right? Good boys must learn to stay quiet!" Wonwoo closes his eyes in horror as he wishes that the jester had just taken his ability to hear rather than his ability to speak, because Jihoon's screams are too traumatizing for him.

"Do you know what he'll do to you and your friend? He's gonna break the bonds of your rings to your souls, but don't worry." Kefka grabs Wonwoo on the chin harshly, "He's gonna use his soul to imbue a magic that will mend the broken bond, and he'll kill you so that his power can take over your souls and resurrect it back. You will both die as a warrior of Cosmos, but when you two come back from death, you'll be reborn as Chaos' soldiers! What fun! Imagine how your friends will look like when you kill them with your own hands." Kefka laughs, his back arching as his body spasms with a fit of insanity. Wonwoo finally breaks down and cries silently as his voice fail him.

Chaos goes deeper inside Jihoon's body as he fishes for the very bond situated on the center of Jihoon's soul. When he finds it, he wastes no time and immediately clamps his four hands to break the bond. But Jihoon's ring still tries to protect him, willing his body to transform and shapeshift. However, Chaos remains triumphant as he snaps the bond in half, rendering Jihoon powerless. All his ring has transformed was the lion tail at the bottom of his spine.

Chaos immediately repairs the snapped bond with his own dark magic, pouring just the right amount to mend the torn bridge between Jihoon's soul and his ring. After he repairs it, he instantly withdraws all four of his hands out of Jihoon's back, leaving it gaping with four circular wounds.

Kuja watches Chaos wipe the boy's blood on his four arms, and he darts his eyes to the boy who was slipping out of life already, the blood and saliva pooling on his open mouth. He doesn't know why he's feeling a swell of pity, but at that moment, Jihoon severely reminds Kuja of someone he knew, of someone he once treated like his nemesis, but turned out to be one of the most selfless people he had known. And he can't help but feel concerned for the small boy.

Jihoon reminds him of Zidane, and the tail is just making him more eager to help, so he breaks past his protocols and glides beside the smaller man, as he uses his intensive healing charms to close Jihoon's wounds and arrange his bones and nerves back to their original positions. At this point, Jihoon has already fainted, but Kuja knows he'll soon wake up since he stitched the boy's wounds pretty well.

He was about to clean the puddle of blood on Jihoon's face but he soon notices Chaos so he quickly glides back far away from the boy. But Chaos ignores him, and heads for Wonwoo next. "My apologies, I got too excited that I had to just do it from his spine." Chaos descends on Wonwoo and rips his clothes open, his stomach displayed for the demon. "It's much easier to locate the soul from the stomach, but your friend was stubborn, so I guess you have my thanks for being compliant."

The god wasted no time and he instantly stabs Wonwoo on the center of his stomach with his hands. Wonwoo doesn't make any noise due to Kefka's curse, but his tears cascade continuously and his face contort into the most horrifying display of insane, violent pain as his insides squelch along every movement of Chaos' hands. The pain is unbearable, and for several minutes, he spent his time unmoving in silence. He feels himself blacking out from the severe pain, and he doesn't know whether he's just about to faint or if he's already dying.

He imagines the faces of his thirteen members, and their last fun memory at a restaurant when their third album reached 1 million sales. It was the most recent memory of fun that he has with the boys. He doesn't know if this is goodbye, but as the darkness threatens to swallow him, he only thinks about one thing.

_ I'm sorry, Ming. I've loved you ever since, but I was too afraid to accept the fact that I was falling for you. I can only say sorry, Mingyu._

_I still love you, Mingyu. I've never stopped loving you._


	10. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Wonwoo form an unlikely friendship with some of Chaos' warriors, and they help them escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER WILL HAVE MENTIONS OF CONSENSUAL HOMICIDE AND NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES

Wonwoo wakes up and feels strange. He remembers the rough and dirty surface of the prison cell that contained both him and Jihoon, but he clenches his fingers and feels nothing but softness.

He bolts up, and confusion wraps his head in a vice grip as his eyes are met with the image of their dorm, specifically the room he shared with the hiphop unit.

_ Hiphop unit, huh? It's actually surprising how surreal that sounds right now _, Wonwoo thinks.

He shakes himself out of the soft surface, and opens the door leading to the hallway of their dorm's upper floor. He's relieved to hear the bickering of his members downstairs, and he smiles almost tearfully that they're together again.

"That was the most realistic nightmare I've ever had." Wonwoo whispers to himself before he heads down. He's actually skipping on his steps as he padded quickly towards the chaotic dining area. Upon his entrance, all of his members' heads turn to him, but he doesn't mind. Wonwoo's going to take anything he can get to relieve himself from the pain of hearing Jihoon's screams for mercy and the sharp stabbing feeling that demonic asshole left in his stomach.

"Good morning!" He greeted everyone with a gummy smile and a hug, to which the other members are surprised yet happy, nonetheless. It was just unexpected for the boy to hug everyone after he wakes up because he usually just skips over the morning greetings and goes directly to the coffee maker. 

"Somebody woke up on the good side of the bed, I suppose." Seungkwan teases as Wonwoo hugged him. The older just giggled and went straight to the last member he hasn't hugged yet.

Mingyu.

"Ming!" He gave the younger an especially tight and even clawed at the sweatshirt that Mingyu was wearing. Mingyu was beyond puzzled, but he soon eased into the exceptionally tight hug that Wonwoo was giving him.

Eventually, Wonwoo let go, but not entirely. He spent the following moments beside the younger, even sitting beside him and stealing Hansol's seat, who was usually beside Mingyu, so the younger just sat beside Seungkwan, who was usually beside Wonwoo.

"You're acting weirdly clingy today, was your dream that good?" Jeonghan addresses him across the table while happily munching on his toast.

"Actually, it was a nightmare. The worst I've had. It actually made me miss everyone." Wonwoo sighs, and Mingyu notices the distress on his face. He comforts Wonwoo through the hand he uses to make slow circles on the older's clothed shoulders, and Wonwoo grins as he nestles his head closer to the younger's neck.

"What happened? In your nightmare, I mean." Soonyoung speaks, or actually tries to speak, but it comes out as weird noises due to how fully stuffed his mouth is.

"Swallow that food if you don't want me to give you nightmares." Seungcheol slaps the performance leader on his arm, and Soonyoung gives him a hurt look, to which everyone laughs at.

Wonwoo smiles, but he avoids the question. "Doesn't matter. I'm just relieved that whatever happened to Jihoon and me was not real."

"Who's Jihoon?" Hansol speaks, and two words are all it takes to terrify Wonwoo. His eyes widen, and he looks at all eleven heads that are returning the same surprised look he's sporting.

"Stop joking, t-that's not funny!" Wonwoo's tears are threatening to spill, and the looks of his members are not helping. Then, it dawns on him.

Eleven of them are looking at him, not twelve.

"B-but Jihoon, he's…" Wonwoo fishes for his phone in the pocket of his sweatpants and furiously taps the google search bar for 'seventeen woozi'. 

But the results show no photos of their short, cute, and handsome vocal leader. It only returns photos of them since Adore U to Fear, but Jihoon's not in any photo. There's no spot left for the younger in any image he clicks, like he was erased from existence and like Jihoon was non-existent to everyone excluding him.

He searches everywhere, and he types Jihoon's stage name and real name anywhere just to see some faint picture of him existing. He visibly jerks when he finally sees Jihoon's name. It was written on a newspaper website, 'Lee Jihoon, 20 years old…'

_ Year of death - 2015. Consensual homicide. _

"NO!" Wonwoo lapses into complete and utter panic as he drops his phone to the cold tiles of the dining area and wails harshly as he fell to the ground. He covers his ears as his members' questions and confusion invades his senses. He shuts them off completely, and just wails endlessly.

_ Wake up, hyung _

_ "No…Jihoon...no!" _

_ Wake up! _

_ "NO!" _

_ Wake up, Wonwoo! Hyung, it's just a bad dream! _

* * *

"No! Jihoon…" Wonwoo bolts up from the nightmare like he was being drowned. He sharply gasps for air as he takes his surroundings carefully this time. The dim background and the rough surface of their prison cell strangely brings tranquility to the panic of his mind, and he remembers the faint orange glow of the outside world. He looks beside him to see Jihoon holding tightly to his shoulders.

"Hyung, are you o—mmph!" The younger never gets to finish his question as Wonwoo tackles him in a gripping hug. He clutches on the younger as he cried, and Jihoon is confused as he holds the weeping man.

"I thought you were gone! Jihoon, p-please…don't leave me...H-hoon." Wonwoo's sobs rack both his and Jihoon's body, and Jihoon is overwhelmed from the sadness he feels.

"I'm here, Wonu. I'm right here. I'll never leave, I'm always beside you." Jihoon soothes him with his hands as the older continues crying on the torn fabric of his clothing, but he doesn't mind. Wonwoo always assured him, and he always remained strong-willed and positive even though the odds were immensely stacked. Jihoon has to be strong for Wonwoo right now when the older is in his most vulnerable state.

Few moments pass with the older in Jihoon's embrace, slowly easing the nightmare that traumatized Wonwoo. Jihoon can't even begin to imagine how bad the nightmare must've been to make the older cry. He's never seen the older cry that bad. Even when they won their first music show trophy, the older never cried that hard.

Due to his curiosity, he tries beating the bush, "Will you mind telling me…what happened?"

Wonwoo parts his head away from Jihoon's broad shoulders, the tattered cloth soaked with snot and tears, but Jihoon can't bring himself to mind. Wonwoo's sobs have now softened, reduced to mere sniffs. He wipes the stains of tears present on his face as he answers.

"Ok. Don't be too shocked though, Jihoon." Wonwoo clears his throat and hesitantly reaches for the younger's hands, wanting to hold it dearly as if Jihoon will fade away if he doesn't. The younger beats him to it, and he soothes the older's hands with his thumbs. "I'm right beside you, hyung."

Wonwoo looks at their interlaced hands, and smiles at the smaller man. He takes a deep breath and braces himself to recall the darkest corners of his mind for the memory he has to retrieve from his worst nightmare in years.

"I was actually awake in that nightmare, but at that time, it looked so much like a dream. I was back at the dorm, we were all back at the dorm and we lived our normal, everyday lives as idols again. I was so ecstatic that I began hugging everyone, especially Mingyu…" Wonwoo trailed off with a smile on his face, but it soon fell as a deep sadness followed after.

"But...you weren't there, Jihoon. You never existed with us, with Seventeen. I said your name and everyone started asking me who Jihoon is. I was so caught up in the relief that I didn't even notice that there were only 12 of us in that dorm. I-I tried searching you on social media sites…" Wonwoo's tears fall again and he's almost mad at how fragile he's becoming. He tries suppressing it, but Jihoon's hand reassures him that it's okay not to because he'll be there to wipe it away. So Wonwoo cries.

"You…were never with u-us. We debuted without you, Hoon. Because...b-because you were…" Wonwoo covers his face with his hands, loudly sniffling as the very words of Jihoon's supposed death flashed before his eyes. "...you were already dead, Jihoon. Y-you died in 2015...from a murder you consented yourself…"

Jihoon was beyond shocked that such cruel nightmare can will itself to be created under the beautiful mind of the older man. He's never seen Wonwoo this broken and out of sorts. But Jihoon can never forget the newfound strength he has gained from everyone during the past days, especially from Wonwoo and Seungcheol. So he uses it as he removes Wonwoo's hands away from his frowning face.

He rubs the tears away, even though more cascade down to replace it. Jihoon cups the older's face with both hands and kisses his forehead as a seal of his existence and never ending love for the older.

"That was very brave of you, hyung. I don't know what I would've done in your situation. But I'm here, aren't I? I'm here with you. That's what matters, Wonwoo. You need to believe in the fact that I exist, because I'll always exist beside you and our members. I'm never leaving whether anyone wants it or not."

Wonwoo smiles amidst his crying fit, "Okay…thank you, Hoon."

"That's a cute nickname." Jihoon reaches for Wonwoo's nape and softly pulls at the older's hair. "I like it, Wonu."

"Ugh, when will you two cease the pining?" Wonwoo looks at Kuja, who was intently watching everything since earlier.

"You!" Wonwoo stands up and releases his aura to call on to his powers, but the slightest spike of his aura brings an intense wave of pain from his stomach. It was like being stabbed by a hundred knives while the blades twist and turn on your insides.

"Fuck!" Wonwoo curses as he slumps down to the flooring, clutching his stomach. His body curls due to the intense pain searing inside him.

"Wonu, don't. He helped us heal. He's…" Jihoon tends to Wonwoo, but he's also puzzled by the enemy's sudden kindness. "...why are you helping us anyway? You're one of Chaos'." 

"Don't you dare lump me with those animals. Similar to all of you, I was also forced into partaking in this bloodbath. I've never wanted to serve that pompous god along people like Mateus and Kefka." 

"But why are you inside the cell with us? Was it because you helped us?" Jihoon asks.

"He let himself in." Jecht interjects outside the cell, to which Kuja rolls his eyes. "Kuja holds the keys to the cells, and he wanted to heal both of you."

Kuja sulks at a corner of the cell, his arms crossed. But he doesn't deny Jecht's claims.

"Lift your companion's shirt." Kuja comes closer and kneels beside Wonwoo.

Jihoon is puzzled, but he does what the strange man says, and lifts the torn fabric of Wonwoo's shirt to be met with black bundles of nerves bulging on the older's abdomen. "What the fuck!? What's happening to him?"

"Step back a bit. I'll heal him." Kuja releases his powers on his palm and presses it against the spreading darkness on Wonwoo's skin. Upon contact, Wonwoo screams. The burn of Kuja's healing spell is making the pain worse.

"Stay still and persevere if you don't want your wound to fester!" Kuja irritably remarks. Jihoon holds Wonwoo's hands as he soothes him. 

"Just a little bit more, hyung. You're doing great." Jihoon whispers as his other hand softly pats Wonwoo's hair.

"Ah! Hoon, please…it hurts!" Wonwoo holds Jihoon's hand tighter, and the younger peppers Wonwoo's forehead with kisses to calm the younger down. "Hyung, you'll be fine soon. I'm here with you, hmm?" Jihoon presses one long kiss at Wonwoo's head, and the pain eventually stops, making Wonwoo breathe from the intense relief.

"That wasn't so hard was it, now?" Kuja dusts the dirt that has gathered into his garments and stands up. "To answer some questions, that very thing that just happened to you will continue to happen when you try to use your powers. Chaos' power is the only thing connecting your souls to the power of your rings. However, since Cosmos is the one who made your rings, it doesn't accept the signature of Chaos. That's why while you use your powers, Cosmos and Chaos' signatures inside your souls will continue clashing, and in turn will rupture your souls to bits. Chaos knows of this fact, that's why he'll want you to fight back in order for both of you to kill yourselves so you can become his. Once you die under his power, it will consume your soul and the power of your ring, deeming Cosmos' ownership to you invalid. Therefore, you will be resurrected as a warrior of Chaos, a puppet of darkness."

Jihoon and Wonwoo look at each other, then they both reach for their wounds. Jihoon touches the marks on his back, and Wonwoo feels the scar on his stomach. They were both nervous upon the grim news of their impending puppetry. 

"Is there any way to reverse it? There must be a way." Jihoon asks Kuja.

"There is non—" 

There is." Jecht interrupts Kuja as his voice echoes through the empty cells. Kuja was about to say something snarky but Jecht beats him to it. "There is one way, because I was once a warrior of Cosmos."

"You oversharing piece of—" Kuja was about to pummel Jecht to a pulp, his Holy magic already out for blood. But Jecht continues speaking. "My son was Chaos' warrior during the 12th, and I saved him from being killed by transferring my life force to him. At that time, I didn't know that my life force was embedded with Cosmos' signature. When he was resurrected for the 13th cycle, he took my place in Cosmos' army. I was left lifeless, just a pile of bone and flesh with no soul left, but Mateus told me that he was the one who took my body to Chaos and he turned me into one of his." 

Jecht sighs at the painful memory of his seperation with his son in the merciless cycles of wars. Kuja calms himself and just glares at the man, since there was nothing he could do due to the secret being out. "Whatever, the secret's out. You can only reverse Chaos' curse if you can be taken to Cosmos while you're still alive. Cosmos is powerful enough to erase the curse since the goddess was also able to transform warriors of Chaos to her own side. However, there is another way, but it will be very painful and difficult to do."

Wonwoo braves himself to ask. "Tell away."

Kuja has a pensive look hanging on his face. "You have to ask your friends to kill you."

Jihoon almost screams, "What!?"

"Your rings all share Cosmos' energy, and the only difference it has are the powers it holds with the soul it's tethered to. If you were to completely destroy the curse without Cosmos' help, you need the powers of the other ring bearers to destroy it. That's the reason why you can't remove your rings, because they're tethered to your souls. Even Cosmos and Chaos cannot remove your rings, otherwise the god could've just done that instead of torturing you two. Simply put, one must ask all the ring bearers to kill him using their power. Doing so will destroy the curse at the cost of your own life." 

Wonwoo digests Kuja's information, and he's reminded of his nightmare once again. Jihoon was dead in it due to consensual homicide, and Wonwoo can't help but think that what he had wasn't a nightmare but a premonition of sorts. And if it is, then he has to protect Jihoon whatever it takes.

_ Jihoon can't die. _

"What if we decided not to do both?" Wonwoo asks the glider, and he's met with a frown from both Jecht and Kuja.

"Then you'll be cooped up here until you die. Or at least if Chaos decides to kill you to hasten the process. He's harvesting you and your friends, because you're all pure earthlings…" Jecht meets eyes with Wonwoo, "...well, almost pure. But nonetheless, none of you have ever committed murder or any crime. If you decide to stay here, your companions would surely come and rescue the two of you. You'll be giving Chaos what he wants."

"And what does he want?" Jihoon urges them.

"All thirteen of you as his." Kuja answers with no hesitation. "He already has two of you, doesn't he? He won't stop at that. That's why both of you need to escape. I won't always be here to relieve that putrid curse from wrecking your frail bodies. You need to go back all the way to Cosmos' sanctuary and have her heal you."

Wonwoo notices how Kuja, from a narcissistic enemy that almost went unhinged on attacking them, was now surprisingly lenient and actually concerned about them. "Can I just ask why you care so much? You almost killed us when we first met."

Kuja snickers, "I resent most of the people here, especially that clown, Kefka. The imbecile manipulated my memories during the 13th cycle because I conspired with Cosmos and her warriors during the 12th."

"You were sided with Cosmos?" Jihoon surprisingly stands up and looks at Kuja with fondness. Kuja visibly stiffens from the sudden action , but he gathers his demeanor.

"Shush, I'm speaking. I wanted to help a comrade of mine in their endeavors to get their crystals. I wasn't a warrior of Cosmos but I sided with her because I was so tired of serving Chaos through 12 different cycles. I wanted my comrade to win but Kefka caught me in the middle of our plan. I saved my own skin and betrayed them as I pretended to go along with Kefka. One of Cosmos' warriors killed me in the middle of the 12th war, and when I came back on the 13th with my memories cleaned, that jester planted me with false memories because he wanted me to be more cooperative. That lunatic and his insane tactics."

"He was so hellbent on killing Zidane during the 13th. Kefka was insanely happy to see Kuja under his fingers." Jecht speaks. Kuja frowns at the memory, but he agrees.

"Who's Zidane?" Jihoon comments, his tail slightly moving under the fabric of his clothes. Kuja takes notice of it and smiles as images of Zidane comes up in his mind. 

"A friend from his world. You remind Kuja of Zidane, especially the tail." Jecht points at Jihoon's furry appendage and the younger is startled as he touches it. Jecht looks at Kuja and the glider is smiling at Jihoon's antics.

"I think you should say something to them, Kuja." Jecht smirks as the man tenses.

"I have nothing important to say…have I?" Jecht just gives Kuja a raise of his eyebrow. The glider rolls his eyes, but he doesn't resist. 

"Though I suppose it would be improper for me not to apologize so I am, indeed, sorry. The attack during our first meeting was fueled by my anger and narcissism to outmatch Mateus and his machinations. I fed the looming evil that Chaos has put inside me and in turn, I acted out of my own will. I didn't want to kill anyone, I tire of this war already so I never intended anyone to get hurt. Though I must say that your friend, the mime? He bruised my pride when he copied my moves. He has some nerve."

Wonwoo's heart swells with pride at the fact that one of their members made a skilled and seasoned enemy inferior. "That friend of ours is really something."

Kuja just brushes the comment away and heads outside, but it's noticeable that he doesn't lock it. He smiles at the two boys, "Escape. Run away far and go to Cosmos."

Jecht grunts in response, but he wears a smirk, "Yeah and don't lag too much. All of Chaos' warriors can access the gateway that opens our sanctuary, so we can use it to escort you out of this hellhole. However, when you travel to the rest of the northern continent and the unprotected lands, you need to be careful. You can't in any way, use your powers. It'll spread the curse and kill you faster so stay low and strategize."

"That's easier said than done but I'll take my chances." Jihoon stands up and helps Wonwoo beside him. They push the rusty gate, and join their unlikely rescuers, Jecht and Kuja.

"Thank you…for being kind." Wonwoo and Jihoon give a brief bow of respect to the two and they also return the gesture.

"Go forth, you'll have a long journey ahead." Kuja and Jecht open their hands as a dark portal materializes in front of them. The glider gracefully dives forward and Jecht just jumps toward it. Jihoon holds his hand out to Wonwoo, who smiles before holding it tight, and they both walk forward as they go outside Chaos' sanctuary. 

* * *

It has been several hours since Jecht and Kuja have successfully escorted them out of the enemy sanctuary, and they landed on an unknown part of the northern continent where barren lands stretch for miles with no sign of water and trees. None of them are too tired, and both men are very happy that they've dedicated ample time in Earth to work out and exercise their bodies.

"I should've asked them for a map. Maybe they would have one." Jihoon says as they trudge the dry soil onwards. 

Wonwoo disagrees with a slight shake of his head, "They probably don't have one, Hoon. They would've given it to us."

Jihoon silently agrees as he continues fiddling with the edges of Wonwoo's torn shirt. It's cute seeing Jihoon go out of his producer persona and just down to being the younger brother of the older hyungs. Wonwoo would sometimes forget that he was older than Jihoon because of how dependent they've become to him. Seeing the younger trailing beside him while clutching his shirt is something that he would never forget, because Jihoon rarely trusts people. The fact that he can smile and show this side to Wonwoo is a sign that Jihoon has immense trust placed on him.

"Stay beside me, Hoon. Don't wander off."

"I'm right here, Wonu."

Few more miles along the road and they still haven't been met with a single familiar spot. However, there have been no enemy signs, too.

"Hoon,can you climb on my back? Try looking for some landmarks or try scouting for some enemies. That okay for you?"

"Yeah, that's fine, hyung."

Wonwoo crouches down as he lets the younger climb onto his shoulders. He lets out a huff of breath as he heaves their body up, and Jihoon scans the area around them.

"Hyung, there are no enemies near us. But there's a river just around northwest! We can use that to gather water and maybe look for some food." Jihoon jumps back down and he holds Wonwoo's hands as he guides them towards the direction where he saw the river.

"Hoon, we both don't know how to cook. And even though one of us does, there's no way we can make fire when there aren't any trees everywhere. Soonyoung's not with us, too, and only Mingyu…" Wonwoo's voice trails off at the mere mention of Mingyu. He misses the younger so much, and he badly wants to tell Mingyu of all the love he's feeling.

"Hyung, I know. I miss them too. Maybe we can't cook anything, but let's just go for the water. We can drink first and then maybe we can take a bath. Let's move forward for the members, okay? We need to stay strong for them, Wonwoo." Jihoon pinches his cheeks, making the older smile.

Unfortunately, someone has already noticed them.

A dark figure drops in front of them, making a gust of wind that almost throws the two boys back due to the force it made. The dust around them clouds their sight of their unknown attacker, and Wonwoo 2struggles to put Jihoon behind him.

Once the dust settles, Jihoon peeks from behind the older to carefully examine the instigator of the attack. The stranger in front of them is a tall man with a muscular build. He wears a long black coat with silver pauldrons, black boots and black trousers. The top of his coat is open to reveal his chest, with his leather suspenders crossed over it. His long silver hair has bangs parted to either side of his face. He also green cat-like eyes and wields a seven-foot long katana.

Wonwoo weighs his options of approaching the man. He could intimidate him, but they can't use their powers so they'll be practically destroyed when a combat happens. So Wonwoo just goes for asking the man his identity.

"Who are you?" Wonwoo's voice is strong, even though he's beyond terrified. This stranger can practically kill them in one sweep of that long-ass sword, and Jihoon feels that as he tugs Wonwoo backwards.

"Hyung, let's just run!" Jihoon hurries the older with his voice down to a whisper. Not letting the stranger hear what his impression is.

"You and your companion seems to be having a dilemma." The stranger looms closer, and his voice is terrifyingly void of any remorse and kindness. All that's left in it are traces of malice, coldness, and mercilessness. His eyes pierce through Wonwoo's, and the latter is met with fear's icy grip. Jihoon's hand trembles behind Wonwoo, and he stops himself from whimpering due to how afraid he feels.

"Answer my question." Wonwoo urges himself to stare at the stranger, not backing away from his earlier request to know the man's identity. He still feels the fear inside him, but he needs to be brave and protect Jihoon.

The stranger stops, and a ghost of surprise flashes on his features before he masks it with a snicker as he is amused with the defiance of the powerless soldier. "Brave. How amusing." The stranger's gray hair sways slightly as his lips curl into a smile. 

"Very well. If you demand to know my name, then I am Sephiroth. That's all you need to know, and that's all you will ever know from me, soldiers of Cosmos."

"We didn't tell you that we were Cosmos'." Jihoon says.

Sephiroth looks at them blankly. "This planet is robbed of any citizens other than Cosmos and Chaos' warriors. It doesn't take much thinking, does it?"

Jihoon and Wonwoo gulp, and Sephiroth grins as he gets closer. The scraping of his sword becomes increasingly terrifying with every step he takes, and Wonwoo is pushed backwards with no choice.

"Both of you are coming back with me."

"No." Jihoon's grip steels on Wonwoo's clothes as he drags the older near him.

"I wasn't asking for permission." Sephiroth retorts, and he lunges forward to accomplish his mission, but his hand is met with a silver metal that serves as the only thing between him and his prey.

"Nor was I." Wonwoo's face pulsate with black veins as his aura spikes up, the immense pain blankets over his body like he fell in a container full of blades. He screams as he tosses Sephiroth's whole body forward, and his power takes complete toll on him as his throat wildly hacks with blood.

"Hyung, no!" Jihoon cups Wonwoo's face and wipes the blood off his face. But Wonwoo pushes him aside, "Run, Jihoon! Leave me and go!"

Jihoon was about to disagree, but Sephiroth comes toward them with immense speed, so Wonwoo pushes him back as he clashes swords with Sephiroth. The metal that comes out of Wonwoo's body is unformed and jagged, the pain rendering him unable to form intricate patterns into his blades, but he embraces the pain and uses his adrenaline and will to protect Jihoon.

"So you would gladly offer your life in exchange for his?" Sephiroth grins.

Wonwoo, despite the pain, smirks and challenges back. "Of course not, I offer yours."

Seohiroth thrashes at Wonwoo again with his swift and calculated movements. Wonwoo struggles to keep up due to the immense pain searing at his flesh, but he still succeeds to make the enemy stagger on his feet as he throws countless daggers at the enemy.

While Sephiroth busies himself deflecting the raining blades, Wonwoo runs back to Jihoon, who was hysterically crying.

"Wonwoo, stop! You're going to die!" Jihoon hugs the older, hus blood smearing into Jihoon's clothes and skin. Wonwoo coughs again, and blood goes spilling from his mouth to Jihoon's clothes. "Hyung, please! You don't have to do this!"

"Hoon, no…you have to live." Wonwoo pushes him away weakly, the venom of the curse charring the flesh of his abdomen, chest, and arms. "Run…n-now! Go before—" Wonwoo screams as he feels a sharp pain piercing his left shoulder. He looks down, and a long blade protrudes from it. He's lifted off the ground, and he thrashes in pain as he holds onto the blade. Below him, Sephiroth is smirking devilishly, and Jihoon's cries get louder as their enemy uses his blade to crash Wonwoo's limp body to the ground. His bones crack, and the blade goes upwards, cutting his bones cleanly. He inhales air sharply as his throat runs dry. Unable to scream, Wonwoo just looks at Jihoon, and he sees the younger running towards him.

Sephiroth jumps, and lands in front of Wonwoo as he pierces the long blade inside Wonwoo's stomach, pressing it down until his stomach meets the hilt ot the seven-foot sword.

"No! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Jihoon lunges forward to attack Sephiroth, but the latter deftly dodges as he grips Jihoon's clothes and throw him away like a paper doll to the side. Jihoon's body rolls away, and he wills himself to stand up again and run. But Sephiroth has thrown him too far.

"If you just took heed of my words, it wouldn't have to be this bloody." Sephiroth takes his sword out of Wonwoo slowly, and he relishes in the pain that it inflicts upon the battered soldier beneath him. It feels like forever has passed for Wonwoo when Sephiroth has completely removed his katana, and Wonwoo's body is already too numb to the clashing pain of his body and his soul. His nerves bulge on his skin with darkness covering it as his flesh and soul decays with Chaos' curse, and he cries because he's about to die while not fulfilling his promise to protect Jihoon.

_ I'm so sorry, Hoon. I wasn't able to be a better hyung. I couldn't protect you. _ Wonwoo thinks as he looks at Jihoon's figure running towards them while screaming Wonwoo's name.

He looks up at the sky, and his thoughts voices all of his regrets. _ This must be it for me. I'm sorry, everyone, I may not be able to make it to the next album promotions. I'd give anything to spend the rest of my life and the next with all of you, but my life ends here. _

_ Most of all, I'm sorry about Mingyu. I hope you don't blame yourself, Ming. None of this was on you, because even in afterlife, I'll only keep blaming myself. _

Wonwoo's tears pour down as Sephiroth places his boot on the soldier's chest, the tip of his sword inches away from tearing Wonwoo's body apart.

"So the god's already gotten to you? Well, that makes it easier. Here I thought you both liked ripped garments. However, if he's already gotten his curse on you, then that gives me no reason to keep you alive." Sephiroth raises his sword, and Wonwoo just remains looking up at the sky.

"Welcome, new soldier of Chaos." Sephiroth brings his blade down, and Wonwoo hears Jihoon's loud scream as the sky opens up for him. It looks beautiful, the light eases all of his fears and pain away as he feels light-headed.

An array of weapons come raining down towards Sephiroth, and he jumps back as the weapons form a shield around Wonwoo's bleeding figure. Jihoon looks up, and from the sky above them, comes twelve people. They land in front of Wonwoo, and the latter looks at their familiar faces. Once his mind has successfully lifted itself off from his delirium, he cries loud. Jihoon does too, as they are both hit with relief as they see their members and Light.

Sephiroth's face is blank as he looks at the army in front of him. Light holds his shield and Braveheart, and they all reflect the same fury and hatred on their faces.

Seungcheol's body is blanketed in darkness, his right hand clutching his sword. Jeonghan's eyes turn to a rosy hue as his hands flare with power. Jisoo's lights are all out for blood. Jun's waters are encircling him rapidly, reflecting his raging emotions. Soonyoung's flames burn brighter than ever as his scowl turns his flames to a different shade of red. The ground around Seokmin turns to ice, and Wonwoo has never seen the younger this angry before. Mingyu's weapons guard Wonwoo's body, and he holds the huge sword that he used during their first training on his right and a long gunblade on his left. Minghao's aura surrounds his body with tumultuous currents of air. Seungkwan's eyes glow yellow-ish, and his hair stands up as electricity runs through his whole body. Hansol holds two of his blades on each hand, all glowing hot with amethyst energy. The ground under Chan rumbles like the intense anger expressed on his features. Finally, Light comes forward and points his sword to Sephiroth.

"Stay away from my soldier." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REVENGE FOR WONWOO AND JIHOON!


	11. Salvus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo and Jihoon are saved from their impending doom. They are taken back to the sanctuary for healing, an they relay everything that they have known in their abduction.
> 
> Each of the members express their regrets and apologies, especially Seungcheol and Mingyu. So they tend to both boys' needs in more ways than one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡º ͜ʖ ͡º)

"Unsurprising." Sephiroth relaxes his guarded stance, and smirks as he addresses the arrival of Jihoon and Wonwoo's rescuers. "It's typical for a puppet like you to be a contender in this meaningless cycle."

"Shut your mouth." Light's sword remains pointed to the enemy, and his very gaze is killing the man in front of him. "I don't care whatever your mouth spouts. You've already chosen death when you touched my soldiers."

Sephiroth laughs, and his tone is oddly calm yet annoying since it exudes his arrogance. "You must think the lowest of me if that's what you've gathered all this time." He returns Light's gesture, the blade of his sword stretching towards the warrior as he points to him. "Not one of you deserves to live. Not you, a nameless warrior born in the chasm of war, nor any of your new earthlings that have only been covered by the superficial veil of comfort since they were little. All worlds are cruel and evil, and I am their messenger. Through me, you will know true despair."

The enemy swerves forward with imminent desire to kill, but Light effortlessly blocks the incoming attack using his sword. Light glares at him, but the latter only taunts him. "Angry, are you? Here I thought you were emotionless just as you are nameless."

Light parries his next move and feints a sword slash, Sephiroth sees through his movements and he cancels each attack coming from the warrior. Similarly, Sephiroth can't insert a single blow because Light's moves are incredibly fast and heavy.

"You really need to stop overselling your taunts, Sephiroth. They're just as soulless like you." Light's blade glows bright with hot energy, and he cleaves the ground. In an upwards motion, Light summons explosive pillars of light that erupt towards his enemy. Sephiroth gets hit by the attack, but he recovers instantaneously. In a swift motion that everyone missed, Sephiroth releases countless blade beams that are honing towards the warrior. Jeonghan hastily swipes his hand and creates a barrier big enough to absorb most of the beams that almost threatened to rip them to shreds. Hansol steps up, his katanas charged with his power, "Jeonghan hyung, close it now!"

Jeonghan nods and he uses both hands to absorb the accumulated power. He sidesteps as Hansol makes his way up front and throws one of his weapons towards Sephiroth, who was going full speed. Sephiroth deftly dodges the blade and smirks at the useless attack, but Hansol's plan worked. Sephiroth slashes at him, but Hansol is quicker and he throws the other sword. It misses Sephiroth, and the enemy is almost amused, but he remains bored. "You missed all of your marks, young man."

Hansol just gave him a smile, "Wasn't aiming for you, though." Sephiroth is distraught and he quickly looks behind him as Hansol's two katanas hit each other. A wave of amethyst energy explodes as the immense, charged power of both blades collide and goes haywire, releasing carnal beams that slice through almost any matter. Hansol uses the opportunity to escape as Sephiroth is too occupied with deflecting the energy Hansol released. Smoke comes out from his hands as he forms a dagger and slices the ground beneath him, forming a portal that takes him away from the carnage. He appears next to Jeonghan, and he instructs the older, "Hyung, now!"

Jeonghan releases the blade beams in a concentrated rose-colored blast of power directed towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth is indeed strong and experienced as he dodges every attack of Hansol's blades, but due to the distraction, Jeonghan hits him successfully. Sephiroth is durable and god-like, but he's weak to his own powers and Jeonghan's mimicry utilizes that immensely.

"Jisoo, sync with me!" The younger nods as he releases red spheres that enforces Jeonghan's attack with beams that pierce through Sephiroth's bones, leaving his clothes tattered with multiple holes decorating the right side of his body.

Minghao blasts him with a violent gust of wind, and Sephiroth is thrown back. Chan attacks simultaneously with him and raises the ground behind Sephiroth. The enemy's body hits it, and due to the strength of Minghao's attack, Sephiroth and the elevated ground connect with massive force. He is pinned on the earth wall, and Chan crumbles the earth to encase his body tight in a sand prison. 

"Everyone attack now before he breaks out!" Chan's scream resonates across the area as the eleven warriors join him in unleashing deadly attacks fueled by anger and rage.

The air that weaves through Jihoon as he ran through the field was charged with the conflicting energies of the twelve warriors unleashing one attack after another. However, Jihoon's eyes are only located on the garden of weapons hiding Wonwoo's battered body. He treads carefully through the weapons guarding Wonwoo and he kneels beside the older, who was barely keeping himself alive. However, Wonwoo was smiling through his tears.

"They came…Hoon, they're here! T-they're really here! I'm—I'm not dreaming, r-right?"

"Hyung, you're not dreaming, okay? We're saved, hyung." Jihoon swipes Wonwoo's hair upwards which were sticking to his face due to mixed sweat and blood. He wipes the older's face with the sleeve of his clothes, not caring about the stain it's going to cause. Jihoon can't help but tear up at Wonwoo's current state, but the older's bright smile was what really made Jihoon lose it as he lets out strained sobs. His hands find Wonwoo's, and they hold each other as he lied down beside the older.

Wonwoo smiles at the endearing gesture and his heart is warmed. Jihoon and him were never really the closest of friends, and the silver lining of this tragedy is probably the massive amount of closeness that both of them have right now.

Jihoon drapes his body over Wonwoo, and he wraps his tail carefully on the older's legs. Wonwoo gets shocked from the tail that's slithering on his legs, but Jihoon just speaks. "I…I'm not leaving your side. U-until you're f-fine…I'm not leaving you, hyung."

Wonwoo weakly giggles, and Jihoon's heart wrenches again. The older brings his free hand up Jihoon's back and pats it slowly, but his arm quickly falls back as his energy slowly drains. "You're so good to me, Hoon."

Jihoon just buries his face on Wonwoo's chest, and his mind suddenly remembers what happened between him and Seungcheol on the beach.

_Seungcheol used his power to absorb my pain…_

Jihoon abruptly sat up and cupped Wonwoo's face. His power spikes up, and Jihoon screams as he feels his body pulse up with dark tendrils of Chaos' magic. He releases the power through Wonwoo, and he heals the majority of Wonwoo's wounds on his upper body.

Wonwoo is mortified at the sight of Jihoon, the younger's green aura filling him with intense love and care, but what's happening in front of him is not easing the pain he feels inside. He holds Jihoon's hands away from his face when he realizes that the younger was using his power to heal him. "Jihoon, no! What are you doing!?"

"PLEASE—" Jihoon screams at Wonwoo, but he breathes in as he relaxes since he did not mean to do so. "Please just…at least let me seal your wounds, hyung!"

"But you don't have to get hurt!"

"Neither do you!" Jihoon sighs, the adrenaline blanketing most of the pain that's currently messing up the sealed wounds on his back. He reaches for Wonwoo's face again, "Just let me do this, please. You've been so good to me too, hyung. Let me be your guardian this time."

Wonwoo shuts up, or rather, he's quiet as his tears blur his sight. Jihoon sees this as an approval, so he continues sealing Wonwoo's wounds. Jihoon muffles his curses and cries of pain so that Wonwoo can be comforted. Right at that moment, Jihoon didn't matter if he was hurt, what matters the most is Wonwoo.

Unfortunately, the body can take so much pain willingly before it starts to break. That's what happened to Jihoon when he finished healing Wonwoo's shoulder blades. Jihoon couldn't patch up the remaining wounds on the older's legs and arms because his power was beginning to inflict the same wounds upon his chest. Jihoon's arms were now littered with scars, and three of the stitched holes on his back were opened again due to the pulsating veins inside it. His neck and face were covered with black tendrils, but thankfully he succumbed to rest before the damage could make its way to his stomach and chest. There were no flesh burns on Jihoon's body, Wonwoo checked, and most of his wounds were only scars and slashes. Wonwoo breathes in relief when he realizes that there are no broken or twisted bones, but his heart hurts as he looks at Jihoon's trembling tail.

"You idiot…you're such an idiot." Wonwoo and Jihoon share a hug as they both cry. Wonwoo made sure to place his arms away from Jihoon's back, so he encircled on Jihoon's nape instead. The two share an intimate moment as they are now equally damaged. Wonwoo risked his life to save Jihoon, and now, Jihoon also risked his life to save Wonwoo.

"We're both idiots, hyung." Jihoon hugged the older weakly, his arms dangling on Wonwoo's sides but his hands grip the older's clothes.

On the battlefield, Seungkwan summons a powerful blast of lightning that pummels Sephiroth into the ground. The surface dents from the sheer force, and Sephiroth is unable to stand up due to the amount of damage he sustained from consecutive attacks. Sephiroth is a god-like entity in terms of durability and power levels, but facing 12 men who equally have god-like powers have him severely disadvantaged. His mouth drips with blood as smoke comes out of the burns that Seungkwan's attack casted on him.

Mingyu walks closer to Sephiroth, and he's met with tattered clothes, wounded body, and disheveled hair. Sephiroth coughs blood, and he addresses the young male, "Do you bring death?"

Mingyu, surprisingly, snickers. "At this point, death would be mercy."

The dust behind him settles as Seungcheol joins Mingyu, his powers cloaking his arms with dark fire. The two men stand in front of Sephiroth, with their angers reaching peak level.

"If you kill me…" Sephiroth smiles, "It'll be a futile attempt. Chaos has a part of him inside me, and as long as he lives, I'll only keep coming back."

Seungcheol's power transforms the fire into a scythe with a blade almost as big as his size. "We'll kill you again, count on it."

Mingyu releases all of his weapons out of hiding, and he calls even the ones guarding Wonwoo. The rustling of metal grows loud as Mingyu's weapons gather around him. "If you do come back, then you should have something to remember us by." Mingyu holds a giant spear from the arsenal of weapons behind him.

"And what would—hrrk!" Sephiroth doesn't finish his rebuttal when Mingyu buries the spear deep inside his right leg.

Seungcheol attacks right after, and he pins Sephiroth's other leg into the ground using his scythe. Mingyu follows right after, decorating Sephiroth's lacerated body with his weapons as he empties everything. Seungcheol follows with his own attacks after every blow Mingyu deals, his swords seething with dark power as he plunge each one inside Sephiroth's flesh and bones.

Light witnesses everything, and he's not even attempting to stop the two from torturing Sephiroth. The other members also see this, and apart from Jisoo, Seungkwan, and Chan, they all feel nothing for the enemy.

Chan speaks but his voice is small, "Guys, stop." He walks forward to stop Mingyu and Seungcheol, but Light prohibits him. "No, Chan. The enemy deserves it."

"But…" Chan stops as he looked at Light, and he realizes that Light's eyes are brimming with anger. It is that emotion that blinds him and his members from doing the right thing.

Chan realizes at that very moment that nothing scares him more than seeing his members and Light succumb to murderous intents.

Minutes pass, and Sephiroth's body is covered with blades. His body is dealt with immense pain that eats away at his body with the slowest progress, prolonging his life with relentless torture. The only part of his body with no blade attached to it are his face, head, neck, and chest. Mingyu only has one weapon left, the greatsword that he conjured during their first training. Sephiroth's eyes dart from Mingyu to Seungcheol, and he's reminded of someone he knows very well from the past who wielded the same weapon Mingyu is holding now.

Sephiroth's mouth bubbles with blood as he snickers at the thought. Mingyu pays no attention to this as he gears for the killing blow. Seungcheol holds the hilt of Mingyu's weapon, and he covers it with his magic. The blade brims with dark flames, and the two men hold it just above Sephiroth's chest.

All for Jihoon and Wonwoo's suffering. 

"Remember this pain, Sephiroth. Because when you come for one of us, you deal with all of us." Mingyu speaks, and he doesn't let Sephiroth speak as he and Seungcheol plant the huge blade deep inside Sephiroth's chest. The dark magic eats his flesh from the inside, and he dies silently at the hands of two soldiers of Cosmos. As his consciousness fades to black, Sephiroth is wearing a grin, a message of his impending return. But Seungcheol and Mingyu are not afraid. On the contrary, they are prepared.

Once Sephiroth's body crumbles to ashes, Mingyu absorbs all of his weapons back inside his body, but he feels nothing since he didn't feel anything when he used his power earlier. He wastes no time and returns to their two abducted members, and he's met with the lovely sight of Jihoon and Wonwoo hugging each other.

The two men only broke contact when they noticed the other members' presence. And they smile even though their wounds are still fresh, especially Jihoon's. Mingyu knelt in front of them and held both members' faces like they were the most fragile materials in the world. He says nothing as he envelopes the two in a hug, but he's careful where he puts his hands so he doesn't accidentally touch a wound or a slit. The two men sigh comfortably in the younger's actions, breathing in a new air of relief now that they are with their own kin.

"Took you long enough, Ming." Wonwoo teased.

"Oh shut up and hold me, you bastard." Mingyu held the two boys tighter, the gravity of the situation finally out of his system and realizing that two of his beloved brothers are now safe with all of them. "You had me worried. You both had us worried." Mingyu trembles between them, and all of the tears he held while they were gone are now pouring harder as every tranquil moment passes.

"Mind sharing them, Gyu?" Seungcheol kneels beside him and Mingyu retracts his hands on the two boys. He wipes his tears, and nods. But before Seungcheol could hug the two, Wonwoo wipes Mingyu's tears away.

Seungcheol envelopes them both, and he's also careful of the wounds. He kisses both men on their foreheads and whispers, "You're both safe now. We're here with you. No one can harm both of you when we're together, okay?" Both wounded men nod as fresh batch of tears cover their eyes again. They cry amidst the reunion, and they share tearful hugs with the others. Jeonghan was especially bawling, saying that he didn't do better to protect them. Wonwoo and Jihoon reassured him that it wasn't his fault and that they're going to be fine.

Light comes forward and also hug the two men. He wipes their tears as he looks at them with fondness. "You two were very brave. Probably the bravest warriors I've had the privilege of meeting. You stood your grounds, and both of you did very well."

"Thank you, Light." Both men said in unison, and they share another hug.

After that, Light opens his hands and call a portal back to the sanctuary. "Let us move. Both of them need to be examined and healed." He encases Jihoon and Wonwoo's bodies inside a floating sphere of light. "Jisoo, I need your healing beams." Jisoo nods and he releases the green orbs of light that emit healing magic as the sphere moves Jihoon and Wonwoo's bodies toward the portal.

They squint their eyes at the sudden brightness of the sanctuary's surroundings and their steps become noisy on the surface of the waters. Cosmos senses their arrival and eagerly floats towards her warriors. She examines the two wounded men, who both look at her expectantly.

"Oh, you poor things." Her hands come up to cover her mouth as she lets out a gasp.

"What is it, my lady?" Light addresses her, and the goddess returns a serious look.

"It's Chaos. I sense him." Cosmos comes closer to Wonwoo and examines the wound on his stomach. "It's a miracle you only sustained wounds of this caliber."

"Um…actually Jihoon used his power to heal me. I was almost killed before they arrived to save us. But if it weren't for Jihoon, I could've died due to blood loss."

Cosmos looks at Jihoon, who look away bashfully because all of the men are also looking at him. Mingyu and Seungcheol step closer to Jihoon, and he looks at them with shyness. "I-I only did what I had to…okay?"

"Thank you, hyung." Mingyu speaks, his voice calm and flowing with gratitude towards the smaller male.

Seungcheol holds his hand, "You saved Wonwoo, Jihoon. You saved a life." Jihoon shakes his head as the memory of Wonwoo being hurt by Sephiroth comes back to him.

"If you all saw what I had seen, all of you would've done the same thing." Jihoon wipes his eyes as his tears return. "Even though Wonwoo…even though hyung was hurt, he still used his powers. Even though he knew that it could kill him, he still didn't hesitate to use his powers to save me. You see, we couldn't use our powers without us being hurt because Chaos…he—" Jihoon runs out of breath, and he inhales deep as tears fall down his cheeks. Wonwoo reaches for his hand and he clasps it tight, but the older was also crying.

Cosmos is almost scared to hear what they have to say. "I can't fathom how horrible it must be if you are already having a hard time saying it. It's fine if you can't, Jihoon."

However, Jihoon shakes his head. "I-it's okay. You all need to know what happened. It might change your perspectives about some of our enemies."

So they let him talk.

"He opened up our bodies…he forcefully ripped my back open. A-and he reached for the bond between my soul and the ring. He destroyed the bond but h-he also repaired it using his magic. He did the same to Wonwoo. He…he ripped his stomach open and put his curse inside him. However, one of his warriors…Kefka? He put a silencing spell on Wonwoo hyung, and all throughout the torture, Wonwoo was silent but he was visibly screaming."

The others have their faces twisted in agony and pity for what their friends have gone through. Seungcheol and Mingyu are especially bawling as they reach for both men's hands inside the sphere. Jihoon couldn't speak anymore due to how hard he's crying, so Wonwoo speaks for him.

"Actually, Jihoon had it worse. When Kefka silenced me, I actually wanted him to take away my hearing too because…because hearing Jihoon scream like that…I never want to hear it again. It was so bad…I'm-I'm sorry…" Wonwoo grabs Jihoon's hands and he lets his tears out. Their other members circle the two men and they all share another hug as they all cry. Each of their members apologize for not saving them sooner, Wonwoo and Jihoon are too tired to speak while crying so they just hug their members tight.

Cosmos and Light's hearts are warmed with the sight, and the goddess thinks that maybe what Cid said was right. Maybe their brotherhood is just what their forsaken world needs.

Cosmos steps to the two boys once their members were done hugging. She examines Wonwoo's wounds and she flips Jihoon gently to examine the open wounds on his back. "I can heal both of you but it will be a long process. I'm going to need you, Light."

"Yes, my lady. Jisoo can help us too since he has healing magic." Light states, and Cosmos nods in approval. Light calls Jisoo and the healer follows steadily behind him.

Jeonghan also follows, "I can help too! I can mimic his powers and help in healing!"

Cosmos just nods, "I need all the help I can get. Thank you, Jeonghan." Jeonghan smiles because he can finally help, and he has Jisoo by his side. He wasn't present when Jihoon and Wonwoo were kidnapped, and he can redeem himself by helping in healing them.

"I'll let Light explain everything when we're done. For the meantime, all of you can rest." Cosmos opens up a portal leading outside the sanctuary. "The portal leads to the beach where we had our campfire. You can all set up for a camp there and wait for four of your members." The others nod and they go out the portal, but Mingyu and Seungcheol stay behind. Mingyu holds Wonwoo close, and places a kiss on his forehead and cheeks. "I really missed you, hyung. I'm never going to leave your side again."

Wonwoo smiles and leans to press a soft kiss on Mingyu's nose. "Me too. I missed you badly, Ming." Mingyu smiles and hugged Wonwoo close to him. Wonwoo's arms snake behind Mingyu and returns the action.

"Come back soon. I'll be waiting for you, hyung." Mingyu places one last kiss on Wonwoo's forehead before he let's go. They lock eyes for a moment and Mingyu waves goodbye as he exits the sanctuary.

Seungcheol holds Jihoon close, their foreheads touching as Jihoon's body floats inside the sphere.

"Is it okay if I tell you I'm kinda scared?" Jihoon speaks, or rather squeaks since his voice is too hoarse from all the screaming and crying.

"You're the strongest man I know, Jihoon. When you first activated your powers, you were already the strongest man in my eyes. You don't have to be scared, Jihoon. Just know that when you get out of the sanctuary, I'll be there to welcome you." Seungcheol hugs him tight, and Jihoon melts on his arms. The older hesitates, but he presses a kiss on Jihoon's forehead. Jihoon hums at the feeling, "That actually feels nice."

"We can do more once you get back." Seungcheol smiles, and Jihoon blushes. "Now you're motivated, Jihoonie."

"Shut up, you ass." Jihoon playfully smacks him on the shoulders, and Seungcheol only giggles. He ruffles the younger's hair before he runs toward the portal.

"See you on the other side, Jihoon!" 

* * *

"How much longer do you think they'll take?" Chan speaks as he finishes raising the earth around the perimeter. He figures that if Jeonghan would take a long time inside the sanctuary, boulders won't be enough as a barrier of protection.

Seungkwan's beside him, creating a silencing bubble around the whole area. He concentrated the sounds around the camp so that they wouldn't be heard by anyone lurking around Chan's earth walls. It could hide their presence well enough for as long as Jeonghan and Light are still occupied. Once he finishes, he replies, "I don't even know, Channie. Their wounds looked really bad. Hearing their story made me rethink of what's happening. The war is real and it's getting closer."

"That's fine, hyung." Chan holds Seungkwan's hand, who looks at the youngest in mild surprise. "As long as there's 13 of us, we will always win."

Seungkwan smiles as he sways both of their hands, "Damn right."

They hold hands as they get back to the others. They were sitting around Soonyoung's fire, with their seats modified by the earth wielder. As soon as Hansol comes into Seungkwan's view, he lets go of the youngest's hand immediately. It doesn't surprise Chan anymore, but he can't help but feel disappointed everytime. He knows his members do not bear any ill feelings towards him, but this love between his members is spiking an inner villain in Chan. He wants them all to break away from each other so that everything can return to the way it was.

To the times when everyone still looked at Chan like he's precious. They still look at him sincerely, but all their love are now transferred to a single member only. Conveniently, they all have partners, while the youngest was stuck with 6 lovesick couples.

It just sucks.

So Chan retreats to himself as he lowers a portion of the walls surrounding them. Soonyoung calls out to him, "Yo, maknae-yah! Where are you going?"

Chan smiled but he just gave the older a glance, "Just going to train for a bit. I can't find anything else to do, anyways."

Soonyoung just gave him a small smile and a thumbs up, "Get back before dark, okay?" However, he doesn't wait for the youngest to answer since he's already busy pining over Seokmin. Chan just sighs as he gets out of the barrier. He raises the piece of earth back into its place as he goes far away from everyone.

_It's fine, Chan. They still love you._

** _Do you think so? Maybe they don't._ **

_No, Chan, stop thinking things._

Chan is surprised, to say the least. He's never been doubtful of his members. There were times where he got sulky but he never got to the point where he doubted anyone inside Seventeen.

Maybe he really needs this training to take his mind off of things for a little while.

Just like that, Chan retreats to his solitary confinement, with it being brushed on the furthest corners of Soonyoung's thoughts as Seokmin takes over the majority of his mind.

* * *

It had been approximately 3 hours and 47 minutes since Chan went out when a portal from the sanctuary opened near the shore. Their four members come out of it, with Light trailing behind them. Seungcheol and Mingyu rush forward and immediately engulf the Jihoon and Wonwoo in a tight hug. The other members follow, and the two elder members smile at a job well-done. Light clears his throat before he speaks, "Everyone, I have to apologize because I will not be with you for tonight."

Everyone except Jihoon, Wonwoo, Jisoo, and Jeonghan all exclaimed at Light's news. Seungkwan speaks, "What!? Why? What happened?"

Light smiles at the comedic outburst, "Cosmos requires my presence for the following hours. She's going to meet Cid, and the two of them are going to talk with Chaos and his warriors."

Seungcheol interjects, "Shouldn't we come, too? We need to see what they have to talk about! What if Chaos and his warriors decide to attack all of you amidst the meeting?"

Light just shakes his head, "They wouldn't dare to attack Cosmos in the presence of The Great Will. It is written in the laws of this universe that the chosen champions of Cosmos are not allowed to be transferred to Chaos' side if they're still alive. That law applies to Chaos as well, and it prohibits Cosmos from converting his warriors to her side. Conversion rituals can only be done when the soldier is dead. Jihoon and Wonwoo were alive when the conversion curse was instilled inside their bodies, and therefore, it breaks one of the laws upon which this world was built."

Everyone nods their heads in understanding. Jisoo adds, "In the meantime, Jeonghan and I will explain everything. Whatever happened to Jihoon and Wonwoo are very confusing matters, so we can shed a light of understanding for everyone's questions."

"When I return, I'll tell everyone of what I've gathered. Until then, everyone of you should be cautious and take utmost care." Light looks at Jihoon and Wonwoo, "You two were very brave." Then, he pats both Jeonghan and Jisoo on their shoulders, "And you two did a very good job in taking care of your members." He retreats back inside the portal, and it closes. Afterwards, Jeonghan and Jisoo called everyone to form a circle around the campfire.

"Hey, where's Chan?" Jeonghan asks. Everyone shrugs, even Soonyoung.

"Maybe he's just outside, you know how Chan usually is. He needs some time to himself." Jisoo replies.

"Well, if you say so." Jeonghan smiles as he sits down on the sand chairs, "So, these are all of the things we have known in the past hours. First, what Chaos did to Jihoon and Wonwoo was a conversion curse. It was an act of claiming. He broke their souls' bonds to their rings, and he repaired it using his own magic. If Jihoon and Wonwoo died, that curse will resurrect them and they will be registered as a warrior of Chaos, completely destroying any trace of Cosmos' ownership. However, Jihoon told Cosmos that three of Chaos' warriors tried helping them; Golbez and Kuja, the one who almost killed us, and Jecht, another warrior that we haven't seen yet. According to Jihoon, Golbez tried helping them but the Emperor halted his actions. Kuja, however, healed them from the wounds they sustained. He also admitted that his actions during our first encounter was wrong, but he doesn't apologize. Jecht helped Kuja open a portal far away from their sanctuary so that Jihoon and Wonwoo could escape without being seen."

Seungcheol mulls over the information, "So they're not all that loyal to their allegiance?"

Hansol answers, "Maybe, but who knows? It could also be them that led Jihoon and Wonwoo to Sephiroth. It was mildly coincidental that the three of them happened to be there at the same time."

The rest of the members agree, but Jihoon and Wonwoo were conflicted. However, Jisoo continued to relay the information, "Let's return to the topic before we arrive to major conclusions. Due to the conversion curse sitting deep inside their souls, Wonwoo and Jihoon were bound to get hurt when they use their powers. Everytime the power of the rings activate, they use a part of our souls in emitting powers. The bond holding their souls to their rings, unfortunately, had conflicting energies since both Chaos'and Cosmos' signatures are rivalling each other inside them. If they continue to call on to their powers, it could rip their soul. Wonwoo must've done that to protect Jihoon since parts of his soul were tattered when we took a look at it. Jihoon's was ripped too, but he was in a better state than Wonwoo. Thankfully, Cosmos has repaired everything, and she eradicated the curse inside their souls. The physical healing process was easy, but even Cosmos had a hard time mending their souls."

Jihoon follows Jisoo as the older stops talking, "However, we were really lucky that you arrived. I already told Cosmos this fact, but I'll tell it again since you guys do not know of this yet. Kuja and Jecht told us both that another way to erase the curse is to be killed by your fellow warriors. For example, I am already dying with a conversion curse inside me. However, I do not want to turn into a warrior of Chaos so before I die, all 12 of you have to use your powers to erase the curse inside me. Doing that will eventually kill me, but I will die peacefully, knowing that I'll never be an enemy."

Wonwoo nods beside him, "That's true. That's actually the reason why I still used my powers even though it risked my life. I had a dream that Jihoon wasn't in Seventeen because he died way before we debuted. I am scared to die, but when I faced off against Sephiroth, I was actually prepared to die. Not until all of you made a cinematic appearance, that is."

Everyone was almost tearing up until Wonwoo's last sentence, the mood is totally killed and everyone's faces are decorated with toothy grins and hearty smiles. Jihoon stops laughing as a question pops inside his head, "Wait a minute, how did everyone even know where Wonwoo and I were? Sorry but I really had to ask, I just realized that now and it bugs me."

Minghao's small voice answers the question, "You see, hyung, Light has this sixth sense where he can feel if an enemy is near. He told us about the time Chan heard someone outside our camp a few days ago, and he sensed it. But it was so sudden that he didn't pay attention to it. However, during the first encounter, Light was able to protect us from the emperor because he already sensed all four of the enemies before your wings activated the trap. We were moving towards the northern continent when he sensed an enemy presence not far from our location. He immediately made us wait as he went forward by himself and inspected which enemy was near. When he returned, he told us about the two of you and Sephiroth. We were so nervous and angry, so Hansol created a portal that placed us directly above the three of you. And the rest was exactly what happened earlier."

Jihoon's mouth forms a cute pout as he takes the story into understanding. A wave of intense exhaustion dawns on his body as he stretches and his mouth opens wide in a loud yawn which makes the members around him coo at the adorable display. Jihoon wouldn't usually let them get away with that, but he's too tired to actually be snarky. He leans his head on Seungcheol's shoulder, and the older holds him comfortably.

"Are you tired? Do you want to sleep?" Seungcheol asks him gently, and Jihoon just nods as he tries to rub the drowsiness off his eyes. He tries his best to actually keep his eyes open as Seungcheol helps him stand up. "Hoonie, help me for a bit, will you? You're kinda heavy and I swear to God, I still don't know which tent is yours."

Jihoon yawns again, and he lazily grumbles, "Carry me, Cheol...please? Wanna...hmm-wanna sleep...your tent..."

Seungcheol's eyes widen as he digests the younger's words. "You-uh...you want to sleep in my tent?" Jihoon just nods. He opens his arms to Seungcheol like a baby reaching out for his mother to carry him. Baby Jihoon is surely cute, but he's about to carry a Jihoon who is an adult male with absolutely good physique and thighs that are fit exactly to his taste. So he mans up, gulps, and scoops Jihoon up from their seat. He was about to position him bridal-style but Jihoon hooks his legs on Seungcheol's waste as he tightens his hold on Seungcheol's neck. He rests his head on Seungcheol's shoulder, but the latter is having a _really_ hard time since his members are already teasing and ogling him, and Jihoon's crotch is just mere inches from his.

"Ooh, spicy." Soonyoung chides, only for Seokmin to slap his shoulders as the latter tells him to stop teasing. Seungcheol just decides to pay no attention as he goes towards his tent. His members call out to him, telling him to be gentle and to wear protection, but he knows that all of those are just jokes.

Jihoon mewls when Seungcheol lies him down on the soft surface of his tent floor, which was covered by a bunch of Seungcheol's own blankets and comforters. The younger sighs comfortably as he opens his heavy eyes and looks at the older beside him.

"I told you we can do more than hugging when you come back but you're already sleepy." Seungcheol parts Jihoon's hair and tucks some of it behind the younger's ears. He strokes Jihoon's cheeks with his thumb as the younger lets out noises of satisfaction.

"You know, I've figured out a lot of things while you were gone." Seungcheol moves his hands behind Jihoon's ears, and he plays with the fringes of his hair. It brings comfort to Jihoon as he slowly feels himself being taken by sleep, but he needs to know what those things are.

"Like?" Jihoon's voice is low as he asks, the sleep inside him churning.

"Like the fact that I never want to experience the worry and anxiety that I had during the night you were abducted. I was always thinking that you might be...dead." Seungcheol's hands stop the motion that it's etching at the back of the younger's ears, and Jihoon almost whines at the loss of contact. Seungcheol feels a lump in his throat, and he doesn't know if he's overwhelmed with joy or sadness. "And also the fact that I absolutely don't know what I feel when I look at you, but I like it."

"What do you feel, Cheol?" Jihoon's eyes are open, but he's still relaxed as he watch the older fall apart in his confession.

"I feel..." Seungcheol's hands tremble as his mind looks for the right words that he's yearning to say to the man in front of him, but he can't come up of anything concrete to say. He looks at Jihoon, at the way the small slits of his eyes look so beautiful under the faint shade of the campfire's light seeping through their tent, and the way his nose would slightly scrunch when he takes every bit of air, and to the way his lips are parted beside him, like he's inviting Seungcheol to get lost in it.

So Seungcheol does. He leans forward, slowly, as he gets lost in the feeling of the younger's lips against his. He savors the moment, but he's not confident in his skills. After a while, he pulls away and he's met with Jihoon's blank expression.

"That's what I feel, Jihoon." Seungcheol smiles, "I think I love you, Jihoon. And I'm never missing this opportunity, not right when you're here beside me."

The sleep inside Jihoon is completely gone, and is now replaced by a new fire kindling inside his heart. "I love you, too, Seungcheol. I didn't notice it back when we were on Earth, but when you sacrificed yourself to heal me, that's when I knew what true love was. I never really knew what true love and heartbreak meant when I incorporated it in our songs, but now I know that you were the missing piece to my compositions."

Jihoon cups Seungcheol's face, and Seungcheol's heart is warm as he laces his fingers through Jihoon's. "You are my song, Cheol. And my lips will only sing you."

"And you are the answer to all the questions I have. Whatever the future holds for us, as long as I have you, I'll have my answer." Seungcheol goes for Jihoon's lips again, and this time, Jihoon is prepared. He opens his mouth to the kiss and their lips mold into each other's. Jihoon sits up and straddles Seungcheol as they keep kissing. The older snakes his hands down Jihoon's waist as the latter holds his neck, deepening their kiss. Seungcheol's hands sneak inside the fabric of Jihoon's tattered shirt and he caresses the skin on his back, void of any injuries and wounds.

Jihoon's mewls go a pitch higher as Seungcheol lowers his hands down Jihoon's tail. It's a new discovery, and he's willing to use it for research purposes. He rubs the tail, and it shivers, much like how Jihoon suddenly pulls back as he moans. "Ahh! Sh-shit...what...what the fuck?"

"Did that feel good, Hoon?" Seungcheol's voice is deep, and it does wonders to Jihoon's growing emotions. The younger nods, and Seungcheol continues on rubbing the tail up and down. Jihoon fists the older's clothes as more sinful sounds drip from it. "Ah! Cheol...ah! W-wait...ah fuck..." Jihoon's toes curl at the extreme sensitivity his tail is bringing to him, and it almost makes him tear up. Seungcheol uses his free hand to cover Jihoon's mouth.

"Careful...the others are sleeping, Hoon." His hands suppress the noise, but the fact that someone might hear or come inside the tent sparks a dangerous desire inside Jihoon. Seungcheol plays with his tail and his noises gradually turn louder as the older tugs faster at the appendage. 

"Cheol...Cheol! Oh, God!" Jihoon removes Seungcheol's hands away from his mouth and descends down on the older's thick lips. He kisses it languidly to silence his moans which were growing louder by each passing moment. 

Jihoon groans against Seungcheol's lips, and the latter takes pride, knowing that he was the reason behind Jihoon's pleasure. However, Jihoon has dealt with so much events uring the past hours, so Seungcheol urges himself to stop both of them. "Hoon...wait. Let's stop...just for now. You still need to rest."

Jihoon nods, surprisingly, but he stays on top of Seungcheol and rests his head on the older's chest. He's breathless as he lies down on the older's warmth, and Seungcheol's just as breathless as him. "Wow...we really need to take some pointers from the non-virgins."

"Yeah." Seungcheol giggles. He plays with the younger's hair and peppers it with kisses. "I love you, Hoon."

Jihoon takes Seungcheol's hand and kisses it, "I love you too, Cheol."

* * *

Soonyoung's fire burn bright in the middle of the camp, lighting up the darkness of night for the warriors of Cosmos. Everyone has already retreated to their tents to succumb themselves to rest and sleep. While Mingyu doesn't know why he's still standing in front of Wonwoo's tent.

_Oh, come on, Mingyu, get your shit together!_

He's already lost count of the amount he has sighed in front of the older's room, but he swallows his pride and fears as he enters the tent. It's kind of funny how he entered because he actually trips at Wonwoo's sprawled legs. His chin lands hard on the tent floor, and he thanks his lucky stars that the surface below it is sand. The smaller man beside him jolts up and far away from the territories of his dreams.

"Huh! Wha-who are you? Wait...Mingyu?" Wonwoo's eyes peek just above his blanket, and Mingyu can't help but notice how small Wonwoo looks. He reaches for the blanket, but Wonwoo makes a surprised noise and prevents Mingyu from taking the fabric off.

"Hyung? What are you-"

"I'm not wearing any shirt, Ming." Wonwoo's voice is small, and Mingyu smirks. It must be his lucky day.

"Oh? Are you shy? It's not like I haven't seen you naked." Mingyu teases, and Wonwoo's face get red from the sudden flash of memories.

"God, shut up! What are you even doing here?" Wonwoo smiles as he sits up and rearranges the blanket to cover his unclothed torso. Mingyu returns the smile as he roots himself back to his objective in the first place.

"I...I wanna say something, Wonwoo." Mingyu kneels beside Wonwoo as he arranges all the words he's been willing to say.

Wonwoo clears his throat, "I have something to say as well. And I suppose I have to apologize for all those times I've left you on your own." Wonwoo reaches for Mingyu's hands, and the latter cages it inside his. "If there's one thing I realize during the past days, it's that I was a coward for not returning your feelings back."

"Wait...what?" Mingyu is dumbfounded as Wonwoo looks at him with a smile.

"I know that you have romantic feelings for me, Mingyu. And I'm sorry because instead of accepting those feelings and letting it unfold for us, I was too scared to hurt your emotions because I thought I wasn't the right one for you."

"I...I was thinking the same thing!" Mingyu exclaims. "I developed feelings for you and I did feel broken when you started going out with other people but, I was also a coward for not talking to you. I think we both feared that we weren't right for each other. Turns out, we have always felt the same."

Wonwoo rubs his thumbs on Mingyu's hands, "When I was abducted, there wasn't a moment that I wasn't thinking of you. I badly wanted you to appear and tell me that all of this is nothing but a cruel nightmare. Now that you're here beside me, I want to say that I've come to adore you more than I should." Wonwoo pushes his lips forward and kisses Mingyu on his lips. Mingyu's eyes widen, and he actually yelps when their lips touch. Wonwoo opens his mouth again and kisses Mingyu deeper. This time, Mingyu accepts the feeling of Wonwoo's lips on his and he parts his mouth to accept the older.

"I love you, Ming. I've loved you all along." His kisses escalate in speed, and Mingyu finds it hard to keep up.

"I...mhm...me too, hmm..." Mingyu holds Wonwoo on his waist as the older straddles him. The blanket is long-forgotten as the two share their fervid desires in the form of mouth-to-mouth contact. Wonwoo is hesitant to insert his tongue, scared of overwhelming the younger. Mingyu senses this so he takes the initiative to slither his tongue inside Wonwoo's. The older squirms at the foreign feeling, Mingyu's daring act shakes his chains inside. The rational voice inside Wonwoo tells him to be gentle, but his sanity is being challenged by Mingyu himself, and he's afraid that he might not be able to control himself if he lets go. 

"Ah, Mingyu…" Wonwoo's stimulated by the younger's tongue, and he's surprised by how Mingyu leads the whole situation. He was supposed to be the less experienced one, but above him, Wonwoo becomes putty. "Mingyu….Min—ah! Mhm…" Mingyu swallows every lewd noise that comes out of the older, and they create a harmonious melody of lust that will probably have them questioned for tomorrow, but Wonwoo and Mingyu are in way too deep to resurface from the depths of their desires.

Mingyu retracts his lips away, and Wonwoo's whine makes him smile. "It makes me happy to know that you missed that, too."

Wonwoo is breathless, but he smiles as he runs his hands on Mingyu's muscular body. "I did. And damn it, Mingyu, when did you become so sexy? I'm way more experienced but you…" Wonwoo's voice trail out as he comes to an abrupt conclusion. "Have you been practicing?"

Mingyu giggles, "Not with other people, no. But I've been researching. You could say I'm preparing myself for you."

"How thoughtful and sweet." Wonwoo leans forward and smiles as he kisses the younger again. He switches their position, and Mingyu is now straddling him. He lowers his hands on the younger's butt cheeks. Mingyu yelps, and he bites his lip to stifle the sound.

"It's so good seeing you switch from dominant to submissive. Do you like that, Ming?" Wonwoo uses his low voice as he addresses the younger by the nickname that they have conceived during their first. Mingyu arches his back as the older grips his ass. Mingyu has a bigger build, but his body longs for Wonwoo's touch. He lets the older take control of him as their bodies play a rhythm through the night.

For the whole time, no one notices that Chan is still not back in the camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD, COLLEGE REALLY SUCKS! All of my time writing this fanfic was siphoned by my case studies so I really apologize for delaying this! It was supposed to be published at November 10 but univ decided to fuck me with requirements.
> 
> Anyways, I'm sorry for the smut scene! I PERSONALLY THINK IT WAS SUPER RUSHED! But actually, I was planning for this chap to be a tease since the real smuts will happen at the next chapter!


	12. Fervor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night is young, and so are the boys as they ignite each other's passion by using their bodies.
> 
> However, a different emotion is igniting inside Chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: THERE WILL BE SOME TRIGGERING SCENES WITH CHAN  
ALSO: VerKwan and SoonSeok are the focus of the smut in this chapter since all Meanie, JiCheol, JiHan, and JunHao were already explored in other chapters.

Seungkwan doesn't really know what shifted everybody's mood tonight. Maybe it was when Jihoon said that he wanted to sleep with Seungcheol, but he is terribly struggling to stop himself from moaning as Hansol drags his lips and tongue on the skin of the older's neck.

"Ah…hmm…Hansol—ah fuck…" Seungkwan gently tugs at the younger's locks, and as he swoops down to claim Seungkwan's lips, the latter parts his own to welcome the softness. Hansol's experience paints Seungkwan in a different shade of red, and Seungkwan is contemplating because he's never been this excited before. He feels it when they anticipate the public response to a new song, music video, or album. But that excitement doesn't make him _ moan _.

The younger sneaks his hands inside the fabric of Seungkwan's clothes, and he reaches up to fondle the skin of the older's chest. He moves with burning desire, but he's also slow so he doesn't scare Seungkwan away. His fingers circle a careful path around the older's nipples as he presses smooth kisses on Seungkwan's lips. The older opens his mouth to accommodate Hansol's tongue, and he sees this as a sign to press Seungkwan's buttons further, figuratively and literally.

Seungkwan's back arches and he lets out a loud moan, and thankfully, Hansol's mouth is there to muffle the sound. The younger smirks, and his fingers twist around it harder. He breaks away to see how flushed the older looks right at this moment, and he wants to hear Seungkwan wanting.

"How is it, hyung?" Hansol ghosts his lips over Seungkwan's ear, his breath tickling the older's. "Does it feel good? Do you want more or do you want me to stop?"

Seungkwan's breathing is labored, his mind being too preoccupied with the intense feeling Hansol has left on his lips, and is currently leaving on nipples, and ears. He's wanted the younger for a long time now, and all the interaction they've been sharing are nothing short of platonic.

Well, until tonight, that is. There's nothing family-friendly in whatever they're doing right now. 

"I-I don't know. I want you, Hansol."

Hansol bites Seungkwan's earlobe, and he whispers. "Then, I'm all yours."

The younger attaches his lips back on Seungkwan's, and he goes lower on his jaw. When he reaches his neck, he sucks on the skin and lightly presses his teeth. Seungkwan arches once more as his throat lets out another moan that Hansol craves in hearing.

"Sol...t-that's going to leave a mark." Seungkwan says in-between grunts.

"Then everyone can know you're mine." Hansol moves towards Seungkwan's chest and he raises the older's shirt to attach his mouth on the perked nubs. Seungkwan almost screams, but he clamps his own hand around his mouth and moans loud. He knows the others are probably hearing them, but they've both gone way over the edge to be careful. Seungkwan drowns on the foreign feeling of Hansol's teeth and tongue lapping on his nipples, and his hands grip the younger's hair firmly.

Hansol kisses whatever he can on Seungkwan's body as he dips lower. He kisses the forming line of abs on Seungkwan's stomach, and he's amazed at how good Seungkwan looks. Regardless of appearance, he'll still devour the older even when he's overweight or underweight. He wants to make Seungkwan feel loved, and he doesn't care about anything as long as it's Seungkwan.

When he comes face-to-face with Seungkwan's shorts, he looks up at the older, who's red with arousal and longing. Hansol maintains his eye contact as he uses his mouth to drag the fabric downwards. He exposes Seungkwan's skin tantalizingly slow, and it kills Seungkwan upon every passing second being stretched as the younger teases him. He finds it hard to look away from Hansol's eyes as he unveils his cock, and Hansol is the first to break his gaze away as he looks at the older's cock for the first time.

"Wow, hyung!" Hansol's eyes widen and he smiles as he examines Seungkwan's leaking erection. Seungkwan blushes harshly and he covers his face with embarrassment and increasing arousal. 

"Ah, s-stop it. Hansol, I'm getting embarrassed!" Seungkwan blurts out, and Hansol smiles fondly at him. He eases Seungkwan's hands away from his face. He kisses Seungkwan once more to comfort him.

"Don't be. Every part of your body is art, hyung." Hansol smiles again as he gets back on giving Seungkwan's erection the attention it's seeking. He grabs the base, and Seungkwan visibly shudders at the skin contact. Hansol move his hands up and down, jerking the older's cock and easing more lewd sounds from the Seungkwan's mouth upon every stroke. Seungkwan's breath only grows faster, and every moan gets louder as Hansol's tongue traces a hot wetness on Seungkwan's dick.

"Ah! Hansol…oh…" Seungkwan looks down on the younger and grips Hansol's hair as the younger engulfs him. Hansol is careful with his teeth, only letting it graze the shaft as he bobs his head to make the older feel good. This is the first time Hansol's tried giving foreplay, and to someone who shares the same sex as him, but he researched and he knows what to do to make Seungkwan feel his love.

What Seungkwan feels other than love, on the other hand, is an increasing need to snap his hips inside the younger's mouth as he loudly chants Hansol's name. If it weren't for his worrying that he could hurt Hansol, he could've already thrusted deep inside Hansol's throat, but he's way too worried for the younger to be that selfish. The younger is doing his best to make Seungkwan feel good, so Seungkwan reminds himself to do the same to Hansol after this.

"Fuck! Hansol, you feel so good…" Seungkwan retracts his grip and replaces it with a gentle touch on Hansol's face. The younger lets his cock go, his mouth red and face flushed. Hansol's lips glisten with flowing saliva and precum, and Seungkwan moans as Hansol engulfs his thumb this time. Hansol's tongue coaxes the finger, and Seungkwan plays with the insides of Hansol's mouth as they lock eyes.

"Hansol, I love you." Seungkwan says with bated breathing, and Hansol lets go of his thumb to reply.

"I love you too, Seungkwan. I love you so much. And I' m willing to show you the extent of how much I want and need you in my life." Hansol takes Seungkwan's dick in his mouth again, and he takes it all the way in. Seungkwan screams wantonly as the intense pleasure sparks a familiar feeling of a knot being untied deep inside his stomach.

"Fuck! Oh fuck, I'm close…Hansol–ugh fuck, g-gonna cum…ah!" Seungkwan's heartbeat grows as Hansol bobs his head faster to accommodate the increasing tension. Seungkwan's face paints a mixed expression of agony and pleasure as the younger wants him to come undone.

"Hansol, get off! I…ah fuck! I-I'm cumming…ah Hansol!" Seungkwan tries to push Hansol away from his dick, but Hansol remains unmoved as he holds Seungkwan's wrists. His arms rest on Seungkwan's hips to prevent him from fucking his face. Hansol's gag reflex is impressive, but he doesn't want to risk himself throwing up on Seungkwan's dick.

Seungkwan throws his head back as he unwillingly empties all of his pent up arousal inside Hansol. The younger closes his eyes as he tries hard to take everything Seungkwan is releasing, but the older must have been laying low on masturbating because a minute has passed and he's still weakly spurting inside Hansol's mouth.

When Hansol was sure that Seungkwan has stopped cumming, he lets go of the older. His lips let go of the slowly limping cock with a resounding pop, and Seungkwan whimpers softly as he looks at Hansol with hooded eyes. Hansol smiles and pecks Seungkwan on his lips.

"God, Kwannie, you are a monster. I almost died trying to keep up with your cum." Hansol laughs as he peppers Seungkwan's cheeks with kisses. Seungkwan just smiles and kisses back, but he pushes Hansol down and straddles him. Hansol's expression shifts to something mildly confused as Seungkwan kisses him sloppily.

The older fumbles for Hansol's fly and he pops the button of his pants. In a matter of seconds, Seungkwan's hands are bringing stiffness to Hansol's cock, which makes the younger groan as his eyes roll back.

"Ahh…Kwannie, what are you doing?" Hansol speaks as he looks at the older. Seungkwan returns the same lust-filled gaze as he strokes the younger's enlarging boner.

"You have to cum, too. I'll feel uncomfortable if you don't. And you deserve it, Nonie." Hansol lets out a very unmanly whimper at Seungkwan's use of the nickname, and he's almost amazed at how fast Seungkwan makes him submit. It was like a whole new persona of his hyung who was writhing underneath him earlier.

"You like it when I call you that, right?" Seungkwan whispers as he kisses Hansol's cheeks and licks on his ears. "You like it when I control you just as much as you like controlling me, don't you?" Seungkwan's voice is deep, so fucking deep that it drives Hansol mad with lust. He doesn't want Seungkwan, he _ needs _ his hyung.

"Oh hyung…hyung–ngh...s-shit…" Hansol is almost disappointed that he expected himself to act like a virgin under Seungkwan. However, he can't blame himself. He loves the guy so much, he's only willing to be this submissive if it's Seungkwan who's above him.

He'll do everything for his lovely hyung.

"Nonie, I want to suck you off so bad." Seungkwan bites the skin of Hansol's neck, and it makes the younger shudder. Hansol doesn't answer and just moans. Unlike Hansol, he doesn't leave a hickey on his neck, and just leaves a bite mark.

"Nonie, use your words. Tell me what you want." Seungkwan utters in a commanding tone, albeit still peppering kisses in Hansol's jaw. The younger complies immediately as his hands find Seungkwan's nape.

"Suck my dick, hyung...please." Hansol kisses Seungkwan to further show the older how much he needs him. "Make me cum."

Seungkwan obeys the younger and engulfs his dick inside his mouth. Hansol growls as he feels the familiar wet feeling of a mouth on his dick. However, what makes it special this time is because he has Seungkwan doing it to him, not someone who's only in it for a fling or a one night stand. It's so refreshing for him to have someone listen to his desires, and the fact that he has Seungkwan to take care of him just adds up to the growing adoration in his heart.

Seungkwan almost chokes, but he knew better than to test his limits. He's new to this after all, so he quickly rises up to a level where his throat is comfortable, and just uses his hands to stroke the parts of the shaft where his mouth can't reach. Hansol doesn't mind because he's way too busy moaning Seungkwan's name.

"Hyung...Seungkwan hyung…f-fuck! Hyung, I love you…" Hansol looks down, and the very sight of Seungkwan with his lips stretched by his cock brings him closer to heaven. Seungkwan hollows his cheeks and the sound that he makes everytime he bobs downwards is music to Hansol's ears.

"I love you so much…oh I'm gonna–I'm gonna cum…" Hansol fists the blankets below them, and on his other hand, his fist opens and close on Seungkwan's hair as he tries his hardest not to yank on them.

Seungkwan releases his dick from his mouth to speak, his voice hoarse from the foreplay, "Cum in my mouth, Hansol." After that, he quickly gets back to sucking the younger off.

"Yes...fuck, yes. You have no idea how–ah–how much I want to do that." Hansol covers his mouth as he lets out a long moan, Seungkwan's tongue lolling on the slit of his cock, and he curses harshly. "Oh fuck…I-I'm cumming!"

All Seungkwan heard was Hansol's labored breathing getting cut as he felt the cum shooting up the walls of his throat. He tears up from how hard Hansol's cock is pulsing, and his lips fail to catch all of the cum as little amounts of it trickle on Hansol's shaft. Hansol was quiet for some time, then Seungkwan hears a string of incoherent English and Korean curses decorated with moaning and growling.

Seungkwan's face scrunch up in distaste as he gulps Hansol's cum. But because of the fact that it's Hansol, he laps up the remaining cum on the head of his cock. He also licks the ones that trickled all the way to Hansol's balls.

Hansol jerks as Seungkwan cleans the remaining traces of jizz on his not-so-private-anymore parts, and he pulls Seungkwan to a passionate kiss. He tastes himself on the older's mouth, and if his libido is any stronger, he'll probably be hard again just from the kiss.

Seungkwan, surprisingly, laughs. "I really don't know how you can stomach a cum in your mouth."

Hansol smiles as the older rests his head on his chest. "I actually can't believe that just happened. All of this is too good to be true."

Seungkwan snorts. "Then it better get real for you 'cause I love you so much that I'm only willing to swallow if it's your cum."

To that, Hansol's exhaustion is completely replaced with a hearty laugh. Apart from his desires, this is originally the reason why he fell for Seungkwan. Actually, he's still falling for him.

Seungkwan smiles playfully, and leans closer to press their foreheads together. "I love you, Chwe Hansol. Thank you for this."

"I love you, too, Boo Seungkwan. And thank you, also. This night was too good. I can't even imagine how good it'll be for our first time." 

"Wait…" Seungkwan suddenly sits up. "Are you telling me I'm still a virgin?"

Hansol sits up too, facing Seungkwan. "Yeah. We just gave each other blowjobs. We didn't have sex."

"Oh…" Seungkwan's voice trails off as he thinks of the endless ways they can have sex for their first time. Hansol giggles as he looks at Seungkwan's face.

"So, hyung. Do you want to be the top or the bottom?" Hansol mutters, his face dangerously close to Seungkwan's. The older faces him, not caring about their proximity as he asks.

"Hmm, why not both? I'd like it if you were my first on both ways." Seungkwan smiles.

The younger also smiles as he brings the older closer, the drowsiness seeping inside both of them. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

From another tent not too far from Seungkwan and Hansol's, two other members are a mess of tangled limbs as their mouths latch on every skin they can suck.

Unlike the first couple, this one is gushing with intensity.

"Ah! Ah, Soonie, go faster!" Seokmin's voice is quiet, but the one on top of him is doing everything to break that barrier of carefulness. The older obliges upon his request, and his hips skillfully ram the throbbing member inside Seokmin. The younger whimpers and throws his head back as Soonyoung's cock makes his voice reach a different pitch.

"Come on, Seok. I know you want to scream." Soonyoung's hips snap forward, each movement drilling lasciviously into the poor, abused bundle of nerves of Seokmin's prostate.

"Fuck! Oh, fuck! Hyung, you're gonna kill me!" Seokmin's voice remains hushed, even though he badly wants to scream Soonyoung's name over and over until everyone can know how much Soonyoung loves him. But the way Seokmin is trying so hard to silence his lewdness is driving Soonyoung mad.

Soonyoung knows himself. He's a very competitive man, and with his desire to hear the younger screaming under him, he starts teasing Seokmin. He abruptly stops, and God knows how much Soonyoung wants to keep wrecking Seokmin's insides. The younger's hole is gaping for him, and it grips his dick tightly as Seokmin whines at the sudden loss of friction.

"Hyung, n-no…no, please! Please, don't stop!" Seokmin keeps a hushed tone as he tries rocking his hips to start a new rhythm. Soonyoung presses him down to prohibit him from moving, and he smirks.

"Scream for me, Seokmin. Do you badly want to know how much I'm aching for you? Do you know how much I want to make you beg?" Soonyoung leans close and hovers his lips above Seokmin's. The younger wants to kiss him, but Soonyoung is holding him down too hard. It's killing Seokmin inside, and he makes a pained expression as he continues whining.

"Soonie...Soonie hyung, please…" 

"Do you love me, Seokmin-ah?" Soonyoung breathlessly whispers.

"I do…I love you so much, hyung." Seokmin locks eyes with Soonyoung, and the older cracks as he retakes Seokmin's lips over and over.

"Me too. I love you very much, Seokmin. And I want you to show me how much you love me." Soonyoung pulls his cock out completely, but he braces himself for what he's about to do. "When I start moving, I want you to scream for me, Seokmin-ah. I badly want to hear you."

Seokmin notices how Soonyoung's voice is slowly breaking, and he realizes how bad he's making Soonyoung feel. The older is doing his best to satisfy him, and all he wants is for Seokmin to speak clearly.

As Soonyoung slowly pushes back inside Seokmin, the younger no longer holds himself as he grips Soonyoung's arm. His voice holds raw and wanton lust as he lets Soonyoung hear how intoxicating he is.

"Hyung, you feel so good inside–fuck–you're driving me crazy." Seokmin's voice grow louder with each movement they make, and Soonyoung also moans as Seokmin showers him with compliments. "Hyung, oh fuck, do you like it when I say your name?"

"Yes…fuck, Seokmin, say it." Soonyoung hooks Seokmin's legs on his shoulders, the new position giving him easier access to ram inside Seokmin. The younger screams as his prostate is continuously stimulated by Soonyoung, and he blinks as hot tears stream outside his eyes. He frantically sobs as Soonyoung abuses his hole, and he feels the increasing wave of euphoria washing over him.

"Soonyoung! Ah, Soonyoung! Hyung, you're gonna make me cum…" Seokmin's nails scratch the skin of Soonyoung's back, and the pain makes Soonyoung crazier. He growls as he thrusts over and over, and Seokmin just moans helplessly under him. Both of them are sure that they are probably heard by the others already, but they're too intoxicated to care.

"Me too…ngh, I want to cum inside you, Seokmin. Please let me–ah fuck–let me cum inside…p-please!" Soonyoung's hips keep their rhythm but his sanity is threatening to lose its grip as Seokmin clenches on his dick. Every movement ignites an unspeakable lasciviousness that swallows both of their bodies, and they move against each other's heat.

"Yes! Oh fuck, yes, cum inside me." Seokmin's vocie is labored as he gets breathless as he feels himself get nearer and nearer to his limit. "Soonie, I'm gonna cum—fuck, I'm getting close…"

In mere seconds, the knot in Seokmin releases itself in white, hot spurts of his cum that paints his and Soonyoung's body like it's Jackson Pollock's masterpiece. From the jagged breaths and quick muffled curses that Soonyoung lets out, he's also near and Seokmin clenching around him feels so good that it helps in quickening his release.

"Seok...Seokmin, I'm cumming too–ugh fuck!" Soonyoung doesn't wait for Seokmin to finish his release as he empties himself inside the younger's hole, both of them moaning and staring intently at each other's eyes. Seokmin knows it's filthy, he knows damn well that there's cum outside their bodies and there's a considerable amount of the same substance inside his ass. But he looks at his hyung and all he that occupies his mind is the ethereal beauty of Soonyoung as he rides his orgasm inside his ass.

Soonyoung feels his energy running out, but he gives Seokmin a long kiss as he slowly lowers his body down on the younger, both drenched in sweat and cum. When they stop kissing, Soonyoung brushes the younger's hair as he looks at him carefully, "Did I hurt you, baby? Tell me where it hurts."

Seokmin shakes his head and smiles, "Quite the opposite, really. I've never felt anything that heavenly in all the years I've been living. It did hurt a bit when we were just beginning, but it got too good to the point that I forgot it hurt."

Soonyoung smiles, his cheeks forming a cute bump,"You did such a good job, Seokmin. Are you satisfied?"

Seokmin purses his lips, but his gaze is playful, "Technically, I still kinda want more. My ass may be defiled, no offense, but my dick still wants a hole."

Soonyoung looks at him seriously, seeming to catcg up on what the younger is implying. "Do you want to top?"

Seokmin blushes, but he nods. This brings immense joy to Soonyoung's features as he engulfs the younger in a hug.

"Oh my God! I was kinda scared you would keep wanting to be a bottom!" 

"You don't mind, hyung? You're more of a top based on your experience and personality."

"Fuck that. I'm severely looking forward to the time when you'll ram your cock in my ass and that's final!" Soonyoung pouts as he tightens his hug on the younger, who lets out a whimper as he feels the older's cock shifting inside him. When Soonyoung realizes it, he curses and pulls out of the younger. "Sorry, baby, I forgot!"

"It's fine, hyung." Seokmin smiles, and he lets Soonyoung lie beside him.

"Spoon me, Seok." Soonyoung grabs his hand and places it on his waist. Seokmin obliges as he backhugs Soonyoung and lays his chin on the older's shoulders. Soonyoung lets out a breath of pure comfort as he feels himself drifting off with Seokmin behind him.

Seokmin smiles as he realizes that after being the bottom in their first time, he's the big spoon. "You're so adorable, hyung." He places a kiss on Soonyoung's neck, "I love you, Soonyoung."

Soonyoung is sleepy, but he lazily replies, "Love you too, Seokmin, my baby."

* * *

Jeonghan twists his wrists as he watches Jisoo squirm with every movement his fingers make inside the younger. "H-han, slow down–ugh!" Jisoo throws his head back as Jeonghan rubs his erection in time with the movement of his fingers inside Jisoo's ass.

"You're so pretty like this, Jisoo. I'm going to add another finger, okay?" Jeonghan coos beside the younger, and he reaches for the lube behind them as he pulls his fingers out. He squeezes a considerable amount on his fingers and smears it on Jisoo's hole as he slowly inches three fingers inside the tight ring of muscle.

"Jeong...ah, Jeonghan! Ah fuck...i-it feels so good." Jisoo is a sweaty mess, and Jeonghan has never been so turned on to see how his timid boyfriend is being so dirty just for him.

"What a bad boy, saying such things." Jeonghan smirks, and he presses his fingers so deep inside Jisoo that he hits the spot that makes Jisoo writhe and cry for the night.

* * *

Junhui bites Minghao's collarbones as he grinds his hips down on the younger's. Minghao's voice is terribly high because of how crazy Junhui is currently driving him. The older has Minghao's hands tied above his head, and he does all the work of pushing Minghao beyond his limits as he teases every sensitive part of the younger's body.

"Jun-ge! Ah shit…fuck, you're making me so horny." Minghao's moans turns Junhui into an animal whose instincts run on unbridled lust, a desire to make Minghao feel good.

"Tell me what you want, Hao…" Jun kisses Minghao passionately, and he inserts his tongue inside when Minghao opens his mouth. He pins Minghao's wrists down when he starts moving, "Tell me how bad you want it, and maybe I'll untie you." Jun smirks, and Minghao is almost running out of patience. 

"Just fuck me, you asshole! Do you have to be such a tease, you punk!?"

* * *

Mingyu drools on his blanket, his moans muffled as Wonwoo continues an erratic rhythm of friction inside Mingyu's hole. He's so aroused he's actually crying because he's waited for something like this to happen since 2015. It had been 4 agonizingly long years since he had sex, and he waited patiently for Wonwoo. He never tried anything with anyone, not even with his other members. His body specifically wanted Wonwoo, and the fact that the older is with him tonight, pistoning until both of them are an incoherent mess of moans and the sound of slapping skin, is very emotional for Mingyu.

"Hyung, more! Oh, please…ngh, you feel so good, hyung!" Mingyu clenches his blanket so hard that he hears the fabric slowly tearing inside his fist. Wonwoo grunts with a feral force as he pounds deeper and drives both of them mad with lust and longing. Mingyu knows he's being too loud, so he muffles his voice by biting his blanket.

* * *

Jihoon and Seungcheol are a tangled mess of limbs. The younger's tail is wrapped around Seungcheol's legs and they are still softly snoring, dreaming about each other as they lie embraced in the midst of the heated night.

Little do they know, everyone is having the time of their lives. 

* * *

Except Chan. Whereas everyone was blazing with lust, Chan blazed with anger.

He left exactly 6 hours ago, and he was training non-stop, accompanied by the sounds of the waters softly hitting the shore, his empty stomach churning and screaming for it to be filled with food, and his heart hurting with the fact that nobody even dared to find him after 6 whole hours of him outside the camp. He was also plagued with his inner voices, which told him of all the negative things he never, not once, thought about his older brothers. With a hurt sigh, he left the training ground stained with multiple craters due to him practicing his powers, and went back to the camp in hopes that everyone at least left him with food.

That's why Chan is trembling with anger as he brings the earth wall back to its rightful place after entering the camp once more. There is no food in sight, Soonyoung's fire is wildly burning, none of the members are outside, everyone is in their tents and his eye twitches with rage as he hears _ moans _.

Honest to God moans which were chanting the names of his fellow members, and he knows each moaning voice all too well.

_ Are they not ashamed at all!? They are fucking each other and no one even remembered that I left!? _

Chan feels a pending headache, and his vision swims as the voices come back to plague him once more.

**DO YOU SEE NOW? NONE OF THEM WANT YOU ANYMORE! **

_ No, get out of my head! _

**CAN YOU HEAR HOW GOOD THEY SOUND? THEY ALREADY FEEL THIS WITH EACH OTHER! YOU HAVE NO SPACE IN THEIR HEARTS!**

_ No…please...you're lying! _

**Am I? Or are you telling that so you can still hold on even if you are badly neglected?**

Chan's tears are hot as they drop from his lids, the realization hitting him. He told Soonyoung that he was going out for a bit, but nobody went out to fetch him, which means Soonyoung completely forgot him.

**He clearly did since he's so busy making Seokmin scream like that.**

Chan hears everything. Every curse, every sharp intake of breath, and every noise they emit to make each other come undone. And he feels lonely, sad, and angry. Ever since they had that campfire, he was always by himself, never really having a proper moment with any of his brothers since they're all too busy swooning.

He's painted in jealousy.

With a rage-fueled release of power, Chan extinguishes Soonyoung's flames by raising the sand upwards. He also destroys all of the sand chairs he made and gathers all of his things inside his bag. The clothes won't be a hassle since their rings can take care of it, but what really troubles Chan is the fact that he's leaving all of his brothers behind.

**What? You having second thoughts!? They already left you behind, Chan! None of them came to you! It's their loss!**

However, this time, Chan speaks quietly as his tears continue to pour. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even notice that I was gone."

**Excellent. Now leave, and show everyone what kind of idiots they are! They left you first, Chan! ** **Always remember that.**

Chan is not even arguing anymore, he just accepts the voice inside him as he slowly walked towards the earth wall, every moan he hears leaves a deep wound in his chest, and it's getting harder for him to breathe as he heaves for air while he cries.

"Chan? Where are you going?" Chan freezes when he hears Light behind him. Light examines him and he sees the gloomy expression of the younger. "Is something the matter?" 

"I…" Chan wants to lie, but he's grown tired of it. So he turns around and faces Light as he tells the truth. "I'm leaving. I'm going to find another place to stay."

"W-what?" Light's voice trembles, and Chan is surprised to see how much he cares. However, at this point, any kind of attention being diverted to him will make him surprised since he's been depraved with it for a long time.

"Can you all hear them, Light?" Chan's eyes gleam with tears, and his smile is laced with hurt. He laughs, but nothing sounds happy about him. "I went away to train, but no one even remembered to get me. And when I return, everyone's having sex, while completely forgetting that the youngest member, which is me, is nowhere to be seen."

Light opens his mouth, and he closes them again when he realizes that he's out of words. Chan just smirks and looks at Light with sadness. "I was right all along. When you have a group of 13 people, you only have room for 6 pairs, and the remaining 1 in that, is me."

Chan moves forward to the wall and instead of letting it down properly, he kicks the wall and it explodes into bits and pieces of debris and boulders. He walks away, but Light wants him to come back. Light holds his hands tight and tells him that eveything will be fine. But Chan is so caught up with the voices in his head that he was so angry, he uses his powers to sink Light's body deep in the sand. Light's head was the only thing not buried, and the warrior was too shocked to even block the attack.

"No, Light. None of this is fine! They clearly don't need me, so I'm leaving!" Chan stomps and he uses his powers to surf the ground, which in turn, brings him away from the camp in an immense speed.

Light continues screaming for Chan's name, but Chan was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice.

**You did the right thing, Chan. They hurt you.**

And for once, he agrees. He stops in his movements and looks back to see the camp in its full glory in the dawn. His heart breaks as he takes forward strides, tears stream out of his eyes as he sees the future where he roams this world as a stray warrior. 

"I thought we had a promise, everyone. I thought we would stay together as 13. When Dongjin, Samuel, Doyoon, and Mingming left, all of you swore to keep our group together. But now, you're the reason why I'm leaving." Chan lets out a strangled cry, his knees weak and he falls to the ground wailing.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark figure is watching closely. Another silhouette joins, and they talk as Chan cries. 

"What's the status of our mission?" 

"It's a clean success. The earth wielder is the most powerful user of both physical and magical attacks. But his mentality is weak, thanks to his fellow companions."

The wraith laughs sinisterly as it disappears beside the mysterious figure. She watches Chan as his cries slowly recede. "Chaos will be ecstatic when I present the most powerful Cosmos warrior to him." In a split second, she disappears with a bunch of dark feathers leaving where she once stood.

Chan doesn't hear the voices anymore, and he cries himself to sleep on a dead patch of grass where he lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED FOR MORE THAN A WEEK! UNIVERSITY IS MAKING ME DEAL WITH TONS OF WORK LOAD!
> 
> Also, HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO URI JIHOONIE!


	13. Negligentia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan faces new dangers

"How many times will this occur, Kuja?" Garland stands outside Jecht and Kuja's prison cells, where both men are immobilized with chains. His voice rises at a stern point as he addresses his fellow warriors. "You are always leading a revolt! Now, you got Jecht caught in your schemes! When will you be responsible for all the actions you commit?"

Kuja's head is raised high, proud and unashamed of the treason he made. Jecht looks unaffected by the incarceration Chaos has put them in, but he has a faraway look in his eyes. Kuja answers in a calm tone, "I am not leading a revolt. I am simply evening the odds of the playing field. Forcing a conversion curse on an opposing warrior while it is still living defies the laws of The Great Will."

"But you saw what happened to Chaos during the sanctuaries' meeting! The Great Will took away his ability to speak! Without him taking the lead, Mateus will take the role of commanding, and you know he's even more unhinged than Chaos himself." Garland's voice is becoming more tinted with worry as he explains. Jecht tries easing him to relax.

**(REMEMBER: During Chapter 11, Light wasn’t with the members because Cosmos needed him to be present in the sanctuaries’ meeting with Cid. I didn’t have a scene written for that but long story short, Cid punished Chaos by taking away his ability to speak because he broke the law.)**

"It's not like you to lose your composure, Garland. Impose your control on them. You are the trusted right-hand of Chaos. Unlike that emperor, you are noble. You know how to wage a fair fight. Unlike Kuja, I am not ashamed to admit that I want to save those boys. They are inexperienced and I don't even know what Cosmos was thinking but she gave immense powers to those boys! They killed Sephiroth! None of us ever came close to Sephiroth but they killed him just like that!"

"Sephiroth underestimated them." Kuja interjects. "We all know Sephiroth can kill everyone, maybe except Light since he's Cosmos' most powerful soldier, but the reason why those boys had their way was because Sephiroth's arrogance got the best of him. However, when Chaos resurrects him, he's going to be prepared, and I only hope that those boys are also prepared for him."

Garland crosses his arms, and Jecht almost laughs at the way Garland's covered face twitches in disgust at Kuja's use of the warrior's name. But Garland doesn't dwell on it. "Well, Sephiroth just might have met his challenge. The witch tells Chaos of a Cosmos warrior so powerful, his aura was felt all throughout the lands."

Kuja's eyes widen, "Ultimecia is participating!?"

Garland nods, "Indeed. Exdeath and the cloud of darkness are with her, and they're sticking together since Mateus wants them to bring the said warrior in our sanctuary."

Jecht asks, "You and Kuja have fought with them before, right? If he was with the other soldiers, then how come you didn't feel his aura?"

Garland huffs, "I don't remember. There are 13 of them, and although all of them were very inexperienced, Cosmos gave them godly powers. Naturally, their auras overwhelmed me. Ultimecia told us that they witnessed the warrior training on the eastern isles of the northern continent, and the threshold of the power that he was emitting was equivalent to the energies that were disposed during the past wars on the bleeding gorge."

Jecht almost suppresses a sound of awe to come out of his lips, "Now that's just unfair. That wasted energy came from 20 people including us! You mean to tell me he's just that powerful!?

Kuja frowns, only because he's so intrigued about the said warrior. "Did they tell you what powers the warrior has?"

Garland replies. "Go smell the air."

"What—" Kuja's about to retort when he senses a faint, unknown signature prancing around the air of their sanctuary. Him and Jecht are held in chains that compresses their auras so that they can't use their powers, thanks to Mateus, but both of them can still sense how overwhelming the foreign power is. "This aura…I can't sense Chaos' signature in it."

Jecht's eyes widen, "This must mean that there's a warrior of Cosmos inside the sanctuary!"

"What you're sensing…" Garland pauses just as he opens the door to go outside, "...that's the warrior Ultimecia was talking about. And according to what she relayed, the said warrior's still on the southern continent."

Kuja gulps. If that said warrior is still all the way from the south, then he must be really powerful because his aura can be sensed on their quarters, which is situated deep inside the north.

Jecht whispers. "I just hope Cosmos and her other warriors are taking care of the one who owns that powerful aura. Who knows what Chaos would do once he gets his hands on that kid."

Kuja whispers back, but he smiles. "You know, I suddenly remembered the two Cosmos warriors who were brought here. Especially the smaller one with the tail. I hope Cosmos takes better care of them."

Jecht replies, but there's a hint of teasing in his voice, "I thought you didn't care?"

"It's not the point, you dunce!"

* * *

Three days, and two nights. That long has passed since Chan left the others at their camp on the beach. He's gone pretty far, but unfortunately, his classes didn't cover travelling and wayfinding so he just walks wherever his feet brings him. He was sure he went somewhere along the east, but now, as he takes another bite of his burnt fish, he figures that he stopped caring.

"Sorry, fishy. Not only did I take your life, I also cooked you poorly. I should've asked Mingyu hyung to teach me how to cook." Chan smiles for a bit, but he loses his appetite as soon as he realizes what he said. He lets the unfinished meal down on the makeshift plate, and he sighs. It's been him and his ability against the world lately, and he's content that he can make utensils and plates from morphing pebbles and some necessities like rock tables, chairs, and a slightly comfortable sand bed. He also thanks Cid and Cosmos for the abundance of water bodies in this world, because he's been keeping himself clean on lagoons, lakes, beaches, and rivers. He's comfortably traversing the plane, and he makes note to stay away from the north in order to avoid an enemy encounter. At nights, he creates a temporary room underground. He does it so he can stay hidden but he decorates it with holes so that air can still seep inside. The thing about having the power to control the earth is that you can terraform almost anything to your own will.

The only thing he can't manipulate is how his members feel for him.

There wasn't a day that Chan didn't think about them. He casually blurts out their names as he speaks by himself, just like now, when he suddenly remembered Mingyu. Living with 12 men is hard, but he realizes that he's been living with 12 men since he began his teenage years and that it doesn't feel so bad anymore.

Living alone is much harder.

He sighs again as he heads to the shore to wash his mouth. The water reminds him of Jun, but he doesn't dwell on it, because as he glides his water-filled hands along his mouth and chin, he feels the growing stubble. It's been a week since he last shaved, and Wonwoo isn't actually here to lend him his blades. Seokmin and Jisoo are also not here to heal his shaving wounds.

"Why is this so hard?" Chan's voice breaks as he feels his tears slowly stream down his face. He wipes it away, but more follow through and he just kinda gives up and lets it flow as he quietly sobs. He knows that he's too far away from them and that might be the reason why his members are having a hard time looking for him, but there's a dark part of his mind telling him that they aren't even looking for him anymore.

He feels the sensation of a hand snaking along his back, and he visibly jerks away as he looks at a familiar face in front of him. "H-hyung?"

Seungcheol is standing before him, a warm smile evident on his lips. He opens up his arms as Chan's eyes let out more tears. "Come here, Chan."

Chan breaks and he quickly envelopes the older in a tight hug. His loud sobs breaks all the anger he felt for his members, and his heart is full because a slight moment of affection from his members is all he ever wanted.

"H-hyung, I'm…I'm sorry. S-sorry, I left. I t-thought all of–of you didn't ne-need me anym-more…" He speaks and with each word, he struggles to breathe because of how bad he's crying into his hyung's arms. Seungcheol shushes him and his hands rub soothingly at his back.

"It's okay, Channie. We were wrong, and we want to apologize for everything. Come with me, Chan. Come back to us, please." Seungcheol coos on Chan's ear, and Chan nods. His hyung holds his hand as Seungcheol leads him away from his solitude, but Chan lets go of his hands. Seungcheol is puzzled as he looks back at the youngest, "Is there something wrong, Chan?"

Chan smiles, but it quickly turns into a scowl as he sends a quake towards Seungcheol. Seungcheol evades the attack, but Chan aggressively sends waves of sands and boulders towards him. Chan stomps and the ground beneath Seungcheol explodes with a quick burst of power. Seungcheol is hit and he flies backwards as Chan's power overwhelms him. Chan doesn't budge from his position, and his temporary camp is now ruined, but he seethes with anger as he looks at the Seungcheol's bruised body.

"Do you think so lowly of me to be tricked with mere illusions of my friends?" Chan' s voice is firm, and Seungcheol has a scared look in his eyes, but it quickly turns to a smirk as he stands up, removing the soil stuck in his clothes. "What gave it away, young man?"

Chan replies. "Your aura. You may imitate our rings and gems but you cannot replicate his aura."

The figure of Seungcheol's imitation stands up and laughs grimly as the familiar figure of his hyung dissolves in a dark smoke and the figure of a woman sprouts from it. The stranger wears a red gown with a plunging neckline tapered just below her navel. She wears nothing underneath the fabric, and Chan averts his gaze when he sees a slight slip of the enemy’s cleavage. A black fur ruffle extends along the neckline and merges with her black wings. Her feet and hands bear violet talons and she has long silver hair, some of which is pulled up into two red-tipped horns. Chan also notices the purple and bluish variations of the tattoos all over her face and body.

“Impressive. Just what I expected from someone with godly powers.” The woman’s voice is silky and almost seducing, but Chan notices two more auras behind him which were dripping with darkness. He also sensed the same darkness from the woman in front of him and from all the Chaos warriors they’ve encountered so far, so he safely assumes that the woman and the unknown two behind him are also affiliated with Chaos. He quickly turns around and raises spikes just in front of the woman’s face to warn her not to do anything brash while he’s not looking. Chan sees no sign of a body, but he still feels auras lingering.

“Show yourselves, I can sense the two of you!” Chan is almost surprised at how controlled and calm he is right now. He’s really come too far from when he first arrived in this world. But in reality, he just attained this level of control because he was training so hard all the time. He had nothing to do and his hyungs were always too busy with one another.

A dark plume of cloud materializes on the ground in front of him and compresses to form a dark portal. A woman rises from it, but darkness covers her whole body. When the darkness dissipates, Chan averts his eyes immediately and he is almost embarrassed for the other woman in front of him.

“It’s flattering to know that our very appearance strikes fear to your weak, childish heart.” This other woman’s voice is much more seducing than the illusionist.

Chan replies, but he’s still not looking at the woman, “I don’t think ‘fear’ is what I’m feeling right now.”

“Oh? Then could it be that you’re repulsed!?” The woman hisses, and Chan feels the slither of a tentacle on his body as he is lifted off the ground and brought in front of the floating woman. He makes eye contact, and he damns his mind because the woman is actually beautiful.

Well…apart from the fact that she has pale skin and a red and black cloak attached to her wrists. Black and red coverings adorn her body, especially on her skin where nipples and private parts are supposed to be. Chan also sees multiple tentacles extend from her back, and two of it have their own mouths, including the one wrapped around Chan’s body.

“You…are actually naked and it would be very disrespectful for me to look at you in that state. I am not repulsed by any means! But…uh, how do I say this…I’m just being respectful, no offense.” Chan doesn’t know where to look but he settles for the heart-shaped mark on the woman’s forehead. The woman’s anger seems to dissipate, and she lets Chan down.

“Very well. None of the offense taken. But you will address us properly.” The woman’s mouthed tentacles come up in front of Chan and snarl at him. Chan tenses, but he gets the point. The woman is not a person, but an entity. Therefore, the proper term is not “her”, but “they”.

“I understand. I apologize to all of you.” Chan bows, a formal act when someone is apologizing. The entity is surprised, and the woman behind them raises an eyebrow at the act.

The entity smirks, “Such interesting creatures, you humans.”

Chan almost attacks when he senses the remaining dark aura joining them. A ring glows and forms intricate designs to what Chan assumes is either a summoning or teleporting circle. The ring bursts with energy and a huge man emerges.

He wears a sky blue suit of armor and is about seven feet tall with a horned helmet, spiked shoulders and a long blue cloak. His helmet is topped with a two-ended plume and has a thin opening that would normally be used for sight. His armor is decorated with jewels, gold linings and beads, and he carries a sword on his right hand, though Chan assumes that he is evidently a magic user. The only part of his body not covered by the armor are his hands, which are ash gray with black pointy nails.

“I don’t know if you all remember but we are on a mission and the babbling doesn’t usually amount to this much.” His voice is deep and big, almost as big as his body mass. Chan also notices that this one reminds him of Golbez.

“You, young man…” Exdeath turns to Chan and points the sword towards him, “…are coming with us whether you like it or not.”

Chan breathes a sigh of relief, he really thought that he’d be involved in an unfair fight against three warriors, turns out, they just wanted to retrieve him. He knows he’s probably going to be presented in front of Chaos, like what the rest of the enemies did to Jihoon and Wonwoo. But Chan realizes that the only way he can move is forward since he can’t return to Cosmos.

Well, he can. Chan just realizes that he doesn’t want to.

“I’m coming with you, no need to be so commanding.” He speaks calmly, and the warlock lowers his sword. Maybe he was surprised, maybe they were all surprised. Chan doesn’t really care anymore, he just wants everything to be over so that he can come home.

If they kill him, he’ll probably go home, right?

“I have one condition, though.” Chan pauses as he looks at the three Chaos warriors. “Introduce yourselves. I feel so out of place. You clearly all know me since you were looking for me.”

The illusionist snickers, but she actually introduces herself first. “Very well. My name is Ultimecia. I am a sorceress, a time witch, and since we’re now acquainted, I am the one who gave life to your subconscious thoughts. I basically manipulated you into straying far from your comrades to make you see how alone you really are.”

Chan is taken aback, but he quickly gets over it and he’s really surprised at how well he’s handing everything. “Okay.” That’s all he says, and Ultimecia almost looks insulted at how nonchalant Chan reacted.

The entity follows, “We are a higher form of being situated among the clouds in the Void. We do not entertain fickle matters such as names to label our existence.” Chan just nods, and he’s in awe of how regal this enemy is.

The huge man steps forward. “I am the magus of supreme darkness, Exdeath. I was born from a great tree that embodied the evil wills of men, and I am an emissary of The Void.”

Chan scratches his head, “Excuse me but what’s with all the stuff about this void thing?”

“The Void transcends time and space. It is the original state of the universe from which all life has formed. The Void also serves as the connective tissue between different worlds, which explains the possibility of everyone coming together in this world.” Ultimecia answers.

“The Void is where all begins and all ends. It is the very reason why our realities exist.” The cloud of darkness explains further.

“The Void is too complex for little minds like yours to understand.” Exdeath grumbles as he waves his hands. A bigger teleportation circle appears beneath them, and they get ready for transport.

Ultimecia grins, “Now, we face Chaos.”

There’s a sudden burst of energy, and Chan’s small camp is left with no trace of the earth wielder.

* * *

Back at the camp of Cosmos’ warriors, Light is losing his composure bit by bit.

Seungcheol and Jihoon were the first to wake up, since they were the ones who tucked in earlier than the rest. Jihoon screamed as soon as he saw Light’s head on the ground. They thought it was decapitated, but when Light spoke, Jihoon and Seungcheol went into a panic frenzy.

Long story short, they woke everyone up. Seungcheol, Jihoon, and Light were all frowning at the fact that everyone except them were naked. Minghao, Jisoo, Mingyu, and Seokmin were limping so hard, and all of them are covered in hickeys.

As soon as they got Light off of his sand prison, he’s practically fuming. “I specifically told all of you to rest! I get that you love each other so much but when did you become this careless!?”

“With all due respect…” Jisoo counters, and he’s now clothed. “…it was just one night. And nothing bad happened, right?” The other members agreed, and they were all in their casual clothing. Light twitches in anger, he cannot believe what the 12 men in front of him are saying.

It’s like one night without him made his warriors became boys.

“And with all due respect, your youngest member is missing!” Light almost shouts, and the 12 men in front of him freezes as they look at him with wide eyes.

“Chan…Chan is missing?” Seungcheol asks.

Light looks at him for a moment, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. None of you even noticed? Just how bad were you all caught up in the heat to even notice that one of your own companions is missing! We’ve been talking here for hours already and you are telling me that nobody remembered Chan?”

Light looks at everyone, and all he gets are 12 pairs of eyes looking down in shame. He’s never been out of his composure, but all of the trainings they commenced almost seemed useless right now.

“I came out of the sanctuary because there was a huge surge of power that we felt. Cosmos got worried so I came out to check on everyone. It was so great and sudden that even the Great Will got surprised by the power he felt. As soon as I arrived at the camp, I saw Chan. His things were packed but he left his tent. He looked so distraught and he was crying, saying that he was not needed here anymore. I tried to calm him down but he was clearly out of his wills because he attacked me and buried me neck-deep in the sand. He went away, and because I was stuck in the sand, I couldn’t follow him.” Light pauses, he glances and sees that some of the members are crying. But he continued.

“What’s most intriguing about this is the fact that I sensed the same surge of power in Chan when he attacked me. He didn’t hurt me, but at that moment, his power was so potent. Have you all noticed this in him?” Light asks, but all 12 men shook their heads.

“No one felt the surge? Cosmos sensed it outside our camp, it’s impossible for all of you to not hear that.” Light is really hoping that he’ll have answers instead of guilty looks, and he sighs in relief when Seungkwan spoke.

“I-I was with Chan when he made the protective walls. I casted a sound barrier that will trap all sounds around the camp so that no one can hear us. But I’m not too capable on my sound manipulation yet so I think the barrier also blocked the sounds outside the camp.” Seungkwan sniffs, his tears spilling as he internally blames himself. “I-I’m sorry…I should’ve been careful.”

“Why would he say that?” Jihoon’s voice is small and hurt, but everyone heard his feelings. “Why would he say that he wasn’t needed anymore?”

Light tries to sound stern, but even he is broken. Chan was always beside him when he sought out attention. He was there for Chan when the youngest needed his members the most. “Ever since the night we had our first campfire, Chan already felt alone. He was jealous and insecure about the insufficient attention you were all giving him because you all had your partners. Do you know what he said to me that night? He said that there’s only room for 6 pairs in a group of 13 people. I don’t want to break every single one of your wills this early in the morning but the reason why Chan said that and the reason why he left is because of you. Chan always went to me when he needed someone by his side, and I already told you back then to listen to Chan but it seems that no one learned.” Light heaves, his breath running out because of how fast he spoke. He couldn’t believe that he was angry, but he also knows that he’s also worried for the youngest. The members in front of him now look upset with eyes red from the tears. He relaxes, and continues speaking.

“Now, you are all paying the price. Even I am worried sick for the boy, and that is the reason why I am feeling this amount of anger for every single one of you. You should’ve known better.”

“W-we have to find Chan.” Jeonghan speaks, his eyes getting glassy from the worry he feels for their missing brother.

“Of course we have to.” Light says. “If the surge came from him, then nothing’s stopping the warriors of Chaos from capturing him.”

At that statement, the 12 men are buried in a deep grave of regrets and worry for their maknae. They look at each other, eyes all reflecting the same sentiment for Chan. Light heads for the portion of the earth wall that Chan broke, and proceeds to repair it, leaving the 12 others to question themselves.

“We messed up.” Seungcheol muttered, his eyes trying their hardest to contain the tears, but his voice breaks as a realization dawns unto him.

“We broke Chan.”

* * *

Chan doesn’t know how fast everything has happened. Meeting Chaos went by like a blur, and all he remembers was Chaos coaxing him to surrender as he inserted two of his arms on his stomach and the other two on his back.

He remembers the immense pain, but he doesn’t remember the exact happenings. He was just so emotionally drained that he didn’t even mind the possibility of dying. Now, he’s inside a prison cell with two of the rows in front of him occupied with warriors chained from neck to toe. “Mind if I ask you why you keep staring at me?” Chan addresses Kuja.

“You’re that powerful Cosmos warrior they’re talking about, right?” Kuja asks, and he tries his hardest not to sound like a creep. Chan frowns, but he answers.

“I don’t feel powerful at all.” Chan brings his legs together and raises them up, his chin resting on his knees. “What about you? Mind if I ask you how you got yourselves in jail?”

“Because we helped two of your friends when they were stuck here.” Jecht answers, and Chan’s eyes widen.

“Jihoon and Wonwoo hyung? You helped them?” Chan looks at both warriors as they nod through their uncomfortable position.

**(REMEMBER: During Chapter 11, when Jisoo, Wonwoo, Jeonghan, and Jihoon explained everything that happened, Chan already left the camp, so he doesn’t know anything about Kuja and Jecht. All he knows was that Jihoon and Wonwoo were captured and invoke with a conversion curse. Chan wasn’t also present when they explained how to counter the curse.)**

“Hmm, it actually hurts my pride that they forgot to tell you who saved them.” Kuja hisses.

“Well, you didn’t save them. When we found them, that guy with the silver hair and long-ass sword was so close to killing them!” Chan interjects.

Kuja and Jecht freeze at the information, and they now know why their fellow warrior was killed. “That fool!”

“Damn, Sephiroth messed with your brothers? Now it’s not so surprising why he died. I’m willing to sacrifice anything for my family.” Jecht smiles for a bit, and Chan assumes that there must be a family relative on the enemy’s mind.

“They’re not my actual brothers. None of us are related by blood.” Chan speaks, but his eyes are not looking at both warriors. His mind is now istant, all the way from the memories back when he first came to Pledis and joined the first generation of Seventeen members. He smiles as he remembers how small they were, starting from 11 members where Junhui was still the oldest and Samuel, a past member he really adored, was still the youngest.

The group had been through so much changes, and he was hurt every single time. When Doyoon said that he didn’t regret leaving the group, when Dongjin returned home, when Mingming and Samuel debuted in a different group, all of those moments broke him. But what broke him the most was that he never expected himself to harbor such intense desire to leave the group.

He knows that most of it was like the witch said, his thoughts were manipulated. But even so, those were still his thoughts, and they can never be manipulated to think that way if he didn’t have any negative thoughts to begin with.

“Hey, kid. You look like you need a hug.” Jecht tries teasing the younger to ease the sadness that’s evidently eating him up.

It works though, because Chan remembered one memory he’s been forgetting: the night when Jihoon made them listen to the demo of Hug.

* * *

> _For you who must have it hard today, I will tell you_
> 
> _That I’m here_
> 
> _That you’ve done well _
> 
> _That I love you _
> 
> _And I will hug you tight_

_The song walks to the end of its final notes with the acoustic guitar tugging at the heartstrings of the members. They were supposed to give their opinions about the newly finished song, title still undetermined by Jihoon, but for some reason, the composer was adamant to hear what the others had to think about this song._

_The night went by with no critiquing happening, instead, they were now gathered into a circle as they speak all of the heartfelt thoughts they never got a chance to say to each other due to how busy they were._

_“Wow, hyung you really poured a huge amount of emotion in this song.” Seokmin jokingly elbows Jihoon, making the older smile._

_“Yeah, what went on inside the studio that made you write that? Is something bothering you? You can tell us.” Seungcheol looked at the other with concern, his hands lightly tapping a steady rhythm on Jihoon’s knee._

_“Nothing’s bothering me. It’s just that…I know I told you all before that I never feel bothered to create music because I like doing it. Still, it doesn’t mean that I don’t get lonely. Loneliness is actually a beautiful thing, because all those nights I spent alone inside the studio, creating and deleting tracks, it made me think of you all. Honestly, I think of you more than I think of my family, maybe it’s because we’ve been together for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my family so much, I started walking the path of an idol because of them. But what keeps me going is you guys.” Jihoon looks at the 12 men around him, and they are all smiling sincerely at him._

_“I feel the same.” Seungcheol replies, “It’s been so long that I feel like speaking my heart out, maybe it’s because we always do these things in front of cameras. Now, it’s just us, and I want to say that I want to do all of this and more with you guys. I can’t even think of disbanding without tearing up, seriously, you guys have that great of an effect on me.”_

_Chan speaks up next, his voice hoarse due to the recent cold he had. He’s fine now, but his coughs were extremely strong so he’s recovering a tiny portion of his voice. “Let’s not split ways. Even though we’re old, or even if we lose the fans and our career. I want to have a future with everyone together.”_

_Seungkwan holds his hands, “We will, Chan. As long as this ring sits on our fingers, we will continue to exist. And do you remember what we promised everyone during the filming of Seventeen Project? The episode where they brought us to a beach? We promised each other that if a member tries to leave, we’ll throw him together to the sea.”_

_Everyone laughs, and it’s such a joy for everyone to be able to talk this freely amongst each other. They have their differences, and more often than not, their personalities clash. But the beauty in that is the fact that they have this unexplainable bond where they’re just able to meet in the middle and excuse their differences to unite._

_Soonyoung ushers them to put their hands together in the middle, and they form their group circle, hands holding the thumb of the member beside them. “We are Seventeen, even though we are just 13. Problems came, and problems will still come, some might be even bigger than what we have dealt with. However, we will face it, all thirteen of us standing side by side. As long as we’re together, we can overcome anything. As long as we have our rings, we will always be united. And as long as we are united, we are Seventeen.”_

Chan looks at the ring situated on his finger, and gently runs his fingers to its surface as he repeats what his memory of Soonyoung has said, “As long as we have our rings, we are united. And as long as we are united, we are Seventeen.”

“He’s talking to himself. For someone so powerful, he’s emotionally weak.” Kuja’s face reflects confusion as he looks at the dancing emotions on Chan’s features.

“I have to go back.” Chan stands up, and he calls out to his power to raise the earth around him so he can destroy the cell door. However, before Kuja and Jecht could warn him, his veins pulse and tendrils of black magic cover it as he crouches in pain.

“You can’t use magic while you have Chaos’ curse inside you!” Jecht’s chains rattle as he tries to look at Chan’s state. The young man was slumped, trying his best to stand up and keep moving. “Don’t use your powers! It will tear your soul to bits and it will slowly kill you!”

Kuja also stands up when Chan calls to his powers once more, the youngest’s voice crumbling in pain. “Stop, you fool, you’re killing yourself! When you die with that curse inside you, Chaos can finally claim you as his! You’ll be a puppet used for fighting your friends!”

“Then, I’ll just have to make it to Cosmos before I die!” Chan screams, and his powers deliver a quake that destroys half of the building. Before the other enemies notice him, he burrows into the ground and manipulates the earth to take him far away quick.

Chaos notices the commotion, and looks at the earth-wielder as he storms away from their sanctuary. He roars, and Garland is immediately springing into action. “He’s escaping! Follow him!”

The warriors of Chaos obey him, with the exception of Kuja and Jecht, since they are both in chains, Sephiroth, since he’s still on the process of revival, and Mateus since he’d rather die than obey. Garland joins the rest and they move towards the north to follow Chan who’s quickly getting away.

The emperor just smirks, and he calms Chaos down before he heads towards the two chained warriors inside the wrecked prison. With a flick of his wrists, the chains turn to ashes, freeing Kuja and Jecht. Mateus also creates a portal leading outside their sanctuary and places it near the earth wielder. Chan notices it, and he enters, successfully escaping from the sanctuary.

Garland sees this and grunts in anger, but he continues and leads the others towards the open portal to follow Chan.

The glider looks at Mateus with surprise evident on his face, but there’s suspicion behind it. “Why would you free him?”

“Let’s join them. I want you to see everything.” Mateus lets out a grim laugh as he flies away and follows the rest of the Chaos soldiers. Jecht looks at Kuja and they both nod in understanding as they move forward.

“Where did you lead him, Mateus?” Jecht questions as he runs with his bare feet.

Mateus is still smiling and he surprisingly didn’t react to Jecht calling him Mateus and not emperor. “A few kilometers near the bleeding gorge.”

* * *

Chan concentrates his powers to his feet so that he can surf the ground fast enough for traveling across the northern lands. Since most of the continent are just barren ground and deserts, he covered quite a great distance in just few minutes.

However, a blast of magic makes him stop and he looks behind him to see all of the Chaos warriors chasing him. Kefka laughs as he sends homing blasts of multiple elements around him, but Chan effortlessly evades it as he burrows deep and continues running away while underground. Kefka’s mood swing from manic happiness to sadistic anger as he sends explosion after explosion everywhere. Mateus sends bolts of arcane magic towards Chan as he follows the trail that the earth-wielder’s burrow is making. However, Chan successfully protects himself and evades the attacks, thanks to the protection of the earth.

The fire in his blood is now spiking, and he feels the pain vividly. His veins are now an ugly decoration on his skin, along with the black magic littering him with marks and tearing his soul to shreds. However, all that he thinks about are his members.

“Just one more hug. That’s all I need.” With that in mind, Chan keeps moving through the pain and the imminent danger a few kilometers behind him.

Chan gets lifted outside of his burrow and he lands badly on the ground after being thrown by Golbez’ telekinesis. He rolls over and groans. He stands with his left hand caressing his right hip. It’s probably snapped in a wrong position due to how bad he fell, but he calls once more to his powers and tries surfing the ground again.

However, there’s no more ground since he’s standing on the edge of a cliff leading to a gorge. He tries looking down, and it’s pretty high from where he is. He tries manipulating the earth around him to create a bridge, but another explosion throws him to the side.

As the smoke dissipates, he sees the ten warriors of Chaos in front of him, all weapons and magic out as display of warning. Garland speaks to him, “We know how powerful you are, and we won’t hesitate to kill you right here and now to hasten up the process of your conversion.”

“This ends now, kid!” Kefka gives him a grin dripping with the intent to kill with the energy of his magic pooling on his hands.

Chan is severely outnumbered, and he desperately wishes that he’s with the others right now. But making a bridge through the gorge will cost him time, and he’d be dead before he can cover a few meters.

All that he can do now is to use all of his power to protect himself and his members.

Chan is shaking, but what he’s about to do is for his members. He brings his ring up to his lips and kisses it, whispering his words in hopes that somehow, in some way, the message will reach his 12 members.

“I’m sorry everyone, but it seems like I won’t be coming home.”

With that, Chan’s body bursts with another surge of power even greater than the one he emitted before. The earth around him shifts, and it quakes with massive intensity, shaking the land with brutal anger seething from Chan’s aura.

Half of Chaos’ warriors protect themselves from the gauntlet of attacks that Chan is sending, while the other half try to attack him. They all fail, since Chan’s power makes the ground crack and rise with random outbursts. Ultimecia tries stopping time, but Chan’s attacks are too quick, and before she can finish her spell, she’s already flying backwards due to Chan slamming her with a boulder.

Chan screams as he empties everything. He can feel his soul quickly breaking into pieces, but he keeps going. _I’m going to protect them, and I’ll kill every single enemy so that the war can end, and they can finally go home._

Mateus is laughing as he watches Chan, “Splendid magic! Far greater than mine, I can say! Chaos gains his champion today!” Mateus exclaims with a dramatic flair and he rejoices as he witnesses the immense magic spilling from the earth-wielder. Chan hears him, and he sends multitudes of spikes upward to stab the enemy. The emperor evades it, but Chan’s magic reacts too fast to his commands so another wave of attack hits Mateus in his chest and he flies backwards.

Chan delivers his last attack, and he screams as his magic explodes, delivering a great quake that tears the surface of the northern continent. All of the enemies are badly injured, even those who can fly, but they retreat as Chan continues shaking the continent with his powers.

Chan’s aura disappears in thin air, and he can finally see the disaster he brought upon the north. The lands are all tossed and turned out of their original places. He created multiple craters and cliffs due to the massive terraforming. Multiple pillars of spiky earth littered the lands, and it looked like a battlefield.

He falls and his breathing is ragged and he heaves deeply as he feels his life slowly being sucked out. The earth around crawls onto him, and they attach themselves to Chan’s skin. Chan feels the pain stop, but he can feel himself slipping away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just give you all a reason not to kill me for not updating in WEEKS
> 
> * College is shitty.  
* I LITERALLY HAVE FOUR CASE STUDIES  
* I am designing an application for AppDev  
* I am editing a short film for Basic Korean  
* I need to build an algorithm for a dictionary  
* AND I HAVE A DEFENSE ON ETHICS
> 
> I am sorry I'm not updating too much and it's okay if you're losing interest in my fic since I'm not a fan of my writing style and English isn't my first language. But if you'll continue to stay with this story, then I am happy to have you!
> 
> Thanks much and if you can, please comment your thoughts and how I can improve! Thanks to everyone, know that I luv ya!


	14. Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan is running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a huge trigger warning so be careful. Know that if you are uncomfortable, you can stop.

(**NOTE: I edited the last chapter and changed some things because I noticed that I had Chan destroy the southern continent rather than the northern. Sorry, my bad hehehe**)

Three days and two nights have passed since everyone last saw Chan. Light guides the 12 remaining boys through a thorough searching of the southern continent in a desperate attempt to search for any traces that the youngest could’ve left. Hansol’s skill has become their means of transportation since Jihoon’s powers are still in the process of healing. It’s been entirely uneventful, because no matter how much area their powers can cover, no matter how many places they search, no matter how much of the continent they have already traversed, Chan is still nowhere to be found.

Three days of pure frustration, and two nights of unsaid regrets.

Everyone is agitated, of course, who wouldn’t be? Chan is one of their group’s pillar, his explosive talent together with his never ending stream of support for his older members are one of the reasons why Seventeen has remained intact for long years. Seventeen is strong because of the pillars they’ve already established, and with one missing, the whole team can crumble, even the other pillars can get affected.

Seungcheol, Soonyoung, and Jihoon are the three pillars, and Chan is the one that strengthens them. The longer they go without him, the faster they crumble.

It’s easy to see in everyone’s faces how affected they are; the older members are mostly just frustrated and silent, while the younger ones are mapping the areas they’ve covered and crying themselves to sleep at the worry of the missing member. They even started blaming each other, and Soonyoung is taking the brunt of it. Soonyoung was the last Seventeen member Chan talked to, and Chan told him where he was going, but Soonyoung forgot and now, even he is blaming himself. However, his members assured him to just take the message as motivation to find and apologize to the youngest. They all know that they had something to contribute in Chan’s rebellion, and they’re all willing to cross perils to find him.

Everyone’s prayers are filled with Chan, so when they found the boy’s makeshift camp at the eastern isles of the ancient volcano ring, everyone’s worries doubled. The state of the camp was left in tatters, like it was attacked. The land of the ancient volcano ring completes their search of the southern continent.

(**NOTE: I'll be using this map to specify locations around the world of this fanfic. Chan camped around the ancient volcano ring, the battle in Chapter 8 happened at the thin bridge of land connecting the southern and northern continent. The battle with Sephiroth happened at Mirage Sandsea and the bleeding gorge is inside Bahamut Isles. Also, Cosmos' lair is called "Order's Sanctuary", while Chaos' is "Edge of Madness". I'll be addressing them as such on future chapters.**)

“This only means one thing.” Light speaks as he takes the surroundings of Chan’s camp. “Chan was taken.”

They waste no time in moving, using their powers as means of transportation to quickly rescue their member. Wonwoo and Jihoon are helped by the others, and they reach the barren lands that connect the two continents together.

“Everyone split up and go in pairs! We need to cov-“ Light is interrupted as a strong explosion of power bursts from the northwest. Light recognizes the place where the surge is coming from, and his eyes widen as he recognizes the signature of Cosmos in the exploding power.

“It’s Chan!” Light says, but even he is having a hard time comprehending that fact. The surge is nothing compared to a warrior’s normal power levels. The sheer intensity of the power is shaking and tearing the northern continent to shreds as they watch, and no warrior has come to that.

The only time he felt this was with Chaos and Cosmos.

“The surge, I recognize Chan’s aura in it!” Light yells again to the rest of the members who’re frozen in mixed fear and awe of the destruction happening miles away. “It’s his! Something bad might be happening for his power to explode like that!” Light suddenly stops speaking when he senses 9 darker auras burning beneath Chan’s thickly layered one. It’s vague due to how much of Chan’s aura is sprayed all over the terrain, but Light cannot be mistaken, those auras belong to Chaos’ warriors.

“He’s with the other Chaos warriors! Let’s move now!” Light ushers the others to move and follow him as they unleash their powers to move even faster, He can’t command Hansol to create a portal nor Seungcheol to teleport because none of them have actually been that far inside the northern continent.

“Do you know where he is, Light!? Tell us, please!” Seungcheol asks beside him, panting hard as they continue to run. Soonyoung flies beside them, also curious to receive the news. Jihoon also rushes forward, with Jeonghan’s levitating charm glowing around him.

“The bleeding gorge, he’s there along with the rest of the Chaos warriors. If my hunch is right, he’s being attacked, hence why he’s releasing so much power.” Light focuses on the road before them, and the three are left to ponder about the information they just received.

“I’m worried…” Jihoon mutters, but Soonyoung and Seungcheol both hear him amidst the thunderous footsteps of their group. They say nothing after that, but their worries grow bigger as they get closer to where Chan is.

_Hold on tight, Chan. We’ll save you, and we’ll apologize for everything_. Soonyoung holds his tears for when they reunite with the youngest, he thinks he doesn’t deserve to cry after all the pain he put Chan through.

* * *

Every breath Chan draws is a labor, and every heave for air throws millions of daggers upon his nerves. His body fused with the ground in a desperate attempt to tether the remaining fragments of his soul. His body is littered with bruises as dark as night, with cuts that run deep on his skin. He’s been coughing blood for almost an hour now, and he can’t even see properly because one of his eyes are bleeding from the inside.

He knows he’s dying, but that’s not the reason why he feels sad.

He failed in ending the war. He saw the rest of the enemies fall back to their own sanctuary, the Edge of Madness. The Land of Discord is heavily damaged thanks to Chan’s power, but all of it went to naught because Chaos is still alive, the enemies are still alive, and they’re coming for his brothers.

“Is…is he awake? Damn, look at what he did.” Chan hears a familiar voice ringing on his right, and he senses three dark auras. Two of the voices are familiar, but the biggest voice among them is not.

“He’s merely alive, it’d be mercy if somebody kills him right now.” The strange one said. Someone lands softly beside him and kneels, and he feels soft hands examine his face as he looks at the beautiful man looming over him.

“Y-you’re that guy from the…the cell.” Chan’s voice is pained, Kuja almost winces at how bad he sounds. But he gestures for Chan to stop speaking.

“The name’s Kuja. These two are Jecht and Golbez.” Kuja points to the two men beside him, “We’re not here to hurt you. We want to help.”

Kuja can’t tell if Chan was surprised but from the shaking of his features, he must be confused. “But…w-why?”

“We’re tired of this. We don’t want to fight anymore, especially when the warriors we’re supposed to kill are boys like you who did nothing to deserve this kind of fate.” Jecht speaks, and he sits on the opposite side of where Kuja was kneeling. Golbez comes up beside Kuja, but he only stands.

“This fight has been meaningless ever since, but having to fight humans with kind souls like you will also make this war cruel. We were summoned here to fight a fair war, where equal powers must clash to give life to this plane. But I pity you and the rest of your friends because none of you have done such terrible things to be caught in the middle of this conflict.” Golbez says, and from his hands, a green glow appears.

Kuja’s hands also glow, but his is bluish, and they cast that spell over Chan’s body. However, Chan’s body convulses and dark magic rumbles underneath his skin, burning the boy from the inside.

“M-make it…ah! MAKE IT STOP! AAAHHH!” Chan’s screams of agony pierce their ears, Kuja and Golbez cease their spells and stare in horror as they watch Chaos’ magic gnaw at the boy’s flesh.

“What did you both do!?” Jecht comes up beside Chan and uncorks a bottle of potion from his pocket. “Drink this, this is all I have, but it might help.” He pushes the bottle to Chan’s mouth and the boy drinks as he whimpers from the pain. Chan calms down as the potion is emptied inside him, and he sighs as his tears stream down from his eyes.

“That was healing magic, Jecht. We didn’t do anything wrong…” Kuja retorts, but Golbez retaliates, “No, I understand why. His body has Chaos’ signature inside him, and our magic is fused with Chaos since we have a part of him inside us. Using our magic will awaken the darkness inside him.” Kuja looks at the boy and he feels angry because he couldn’t help. Even their magic is useless for Chan.

Golbez suddenly pushes Kuja, the latter stumbles forward and sneers at the warlock, “Do you have a problem-“ When he recovers, he sees Golbez with his arms forward. In front of them, multitudes of weapons are suspended in the air. Golbez grunts and he redirects the weapons to the ground. Kuja senses an incoming blaze of fire at him so he flies away from where Chan is. Jecht also runs and joins Kuja and Golbez from the side.

“Chan! Oh God!” Jeonghan kneels and cups the youngest’s face, his tears dropping at Chan’s wounded skin.

“What did you do to him!?” Light points his sword, and around him, 10 more swords made of light materialize, all eager to kill.

“We aren’t here to fight, nor are we here to kill the boy. I apologize because I took part in attacking him, but I tried to heal him.” Golbez calmly explains, his hands still out forward to be careful in not riling any of Cosmos’ warriors.

“Why should we believe you!?” Soonyoung’s fires burn hot, and his tears well up on the tip of his eyelids as his anger reaches peak level. “You hurt Chan to this extent and then you say that you don’t want to kill him!?”

“We saw everything!” Kuja raises his hands as a sign of surrender, he gulps in fear but he proceeds to speak. “Jecht and I…we were imprisoned at that time, and Chan was taken to the cell opposite of ours. We talked to him for a bit because I was intrigued, the other Chaos warriors were talking about him as Cosmos’ most powerful since his aura reached even the Land of Discord. But he was clearly distressed about something. Suddenly, he thought of something that made him want to escape, so he did, and that’s the reason why he ended up here because we were ordered to stop him.”

Jecht moves forward but also raises his hand to ensure that he’s not meaning any harm. “Look around, that’s what Chan’s power did to the whole continent. He was so determined to return and protect every single one of you. Kuja and I didn’t attack him because we know that none of us stood a chance against him. All because he wanted one more hug from everyone, he willingly risked his life. He can’t be able to do all of those because Chaos also instilled a conversion curse in his body. Just imagine how much pain he went through among those few minutes that he used his powers, that’s why we wanted to help.” Jecht reaches for the empty potion bottle in his pocket and shows it to Light. “Here, you know this, right? This is a healing potion. This is the last of my stash, and I used it to heal him. Believe us, we wouldn’t hurt the boy.”

Mingyu calls to his weapons and absorbs them back to his body, but he holds onto a lancet. “Yeah, you won’t hurt him and you will never hurt him anymore because we’re killing you right here!” The others rush forward, but Chan screams for them to stop!

“N-no, stop! S-stop…please…” Chan’s body roughly shakes as he coughs blood once more. “They…they tried to help me. They…helped Jihoon and Wonwoo hyung too.”

Jihoon and Wonwoo move in front of the others to calm them down. With their members’ actions, they calm down and believe the words of their enemies. Jisoo kneels beside him and starts raining down energies from his green beams to heal the boy, but his wounds do not close. Chan’s body begins another fit of seizure as the dark magic inside him tries to protect Chan’s body from any foreign magic. Jisoo stumbles backwards when the magic hits him, and his surprise is painful to see.

“W-what’s happening? Why isn’t it working!?” Jisoo asks to no one in particular, and he holds Chan’s hands as the younger screams in bloodcurdling pain from the burning caused by the curse inside him. The rest of his members kneel and hold him wherever they can. They whisper sweet words of encouragement to him, and promising that things will be over soon.

Light winces from the pain he feels while looking at Chan, and he addresses the three warriors. “Why is that happening!?”

Golbez steps forward. “The curse inside him has grown too big and thus, has shredded his soul to fragments. Kuja and I used healing magic on him earlier, and the same thing happened. The darkness in his body sensed the same darkness on our magics, and it protected Chan from your warrior’s foreign magic because they do not share the same signature.”

“In short, none of us can heal him. Only potions work.” Jecht adds.

“But none of us have any potion. They were left on our camp because we quickly moved away to look for the boy.” Light bites his lip as he searches for various ways to heal Chan. He suddenly thinks of a way, and he quickly casts a portal that will lead them to Order’s Sanctuary.

“Jeonghan, Minghao, carry Chan with your magics! I will go first to notify Cosmos so that Chan can be healed immediately.” Light walks forward to the portal but the three enemies prevent him. Chan starts screaming in pain as the ground stops him from floating, holding onto Chan’s body tightly.

“Don’t! The ground is the only thing keeping him alive! His soul is calling to the source of his power, earth, and it’s the only thing tethering him to live! He’ll die if you continue!” Kuja’s eyes get wider as Chan’s screams fill his ears. Jeonghan and Minghao carefully returned Chan to his position and Light closes the portal, running to Chan’s side.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I…I’m sorry, Chan.” Light softly ruffles the youngest’s hair and he brokenly whispers “It’s okay…” multiple times so that he can comfort Light.

“Everyone…I’m…” Chan sobs as he looks at Light and his 12 members all kneeling beside him, holding on to every skin and clothing of Chan that they can touch because they missed him. Chan missed them too, badly, but he needed them to understand how the consequences of his recklessness is coming. “I’m dying.”

“No…no, you’re not!” Seungcheol keeps his voice calm even though his tears are telling the opposite. “You’re not dying…o-okay? You’re gonna live and…and we’re going to come back to Earth…” Seungcheol wants to keep going, but his voice breaks because he knows that Chan is getting nowhere.

“Hyung…it’s okay. It’s my fault this happened…” Chan sniffs as he looks at Seungcheol. He smiles at everyone, but he’s sure he looked hideous because he’s only smiling through the pain.

“No, none of this is on you! This was all on us! All of the bad things that happened to you was because of us!” Soonyoung chases his breath as he cries hard. “I…I was supposed to let everyone know where you were!”

“Hyung, I understand…I know all of you might…might feel like you did something wrong, but it was actually me. I was weak, so my mind was easily manipulated. I ran away unknowingly, and…and now I’m dying.” Chan’s face crumble as it dawns to him that he’s dying. He doesn’t want to, because he still wants more time with the rest of Seventeen. “I…I don’t want to die! I don’t want to leave anyone!” Chan loudly cries as he opens his hands weakly to the touch of his members, and they all tearfully hug Chan.

However sad and gut-wrenching the scene must be, Jihoon needed to be brave. This is Chan’s fate, and if he dies now, then he becomes a warrior of Chaos’. A mindless puppet set to kill his friends. He doesn’t want that, so only one choice can be done to truly save Chan. “We…we have to kill him.”

His members throw a look of disdain and disbelief towards the smallest member, who flinches from the bitter attention. However, Wonwoo and Light freeze in their seats because they also know that what Jihoon said is the only thing left for them to do.

“He’s…he’s running out of time! If we let him die, he’ll become a property of Chaos! He’ll be sent out to kill us, to be a puppet he can use to fulfill his desires! I…I don’t want Chan to live without any soul, and I’m sure…” Jihoon looks at Chan who’s just smiling back at him. Jihoon is rendered speechless and he breaks down crying.

Chan speaks, “I…I want that. Dying with everyone right here beside me is better than working for someone like Chaos.” Chan clasps Light’s hands, and he looks at him with the same old passion he had when practicing.

“Light…lead them, please. I know they won’t do it, but you need to make them see that…that this is the only choice I’m willing to accept…” Light nods at the youngest, holding his tears so that Chan can have a strong pillar beside him on his final moments.

“Everyone…gather your powers.” Light calmly commands, not able to look the members in their eyes. The others only express disappointment and defiance, but Jihoon and Wonwoo’s hands are filled with their powers already. Seungcheol looks at them, and he cries harder.

“Do you really want Chan to die just like that!? Why!? Why would you even want him to die!?” Seungcheol’s voice is already hoarse from crying.

Jihoon answers quietly, but he makes sure his point is heard. “It’s better for him to die because of us than for him to continue living as a tool of war! Don’t you have any respect for Chan!?” Seungcheol goes quiet as Jihoon’s chest heaves. “D-do you think I want this? Do you all think that Wonwoo and I want Chan to die!?”

Wonwoo uses his other hand to hold Seungcheol’s. “Hyung…we need to do the next right thing. It’s all we can do for Chan…” Wonwoo is also crying hard as he looks at Seungcheol, and the latter can only slump his shoulders and cry as he slowly accepts the reality.

Chan sniffs his tears away, and smiles at his friends, no…brothers.

“It’s okay, everyone. I’m going to be fine.”

Seungcheol raises his hand and gathers his power there. The others also follow, with Soonyoung being the last one to activate his ring’s power. “I’m sorry, Chan. I’m so sorry to you…I don’t think I’m ever going to stop apologizing to you.” Soonyoung lets his tears out as he rests his forehead on Chan’s shoulders. The others also let their apologies out and cry out to Chan as they share one last moment together.

“I’ve laughed a million times because of everyone, and I’ve also cried a million times because of everyone. Meeting all of you has been the greatest gift life had given me, and dying in your hands will surely be a great story to tell in the afterlife.” He looks once more at everyone, and he sighs. He’s really lived a happy and blessed life with these 12 boys.

“My only regret, is not seeing my family before I died. But that’s okay…I have my other family right here. Tell omma and appa about me…o-okay?” Chan’s calm façade breaks down as the faces of his family come alive in his memories. How he’d sacrifice everything just to stop time and go see a glimpse of his family one last time, but reality often disappoints, so he moves on.

“Upon my command…you will all attack without hesitation.” Light formally speaks, his voice composed and unshaken, but his eyes speak of a different story, of a boy so strong and so loving that he was willing to sacrifice everything just to get one more hug.

Chan can feel it. He’s close to dying, but the fact that his members are the one that will put him to his rest is oddly comforting. He hears Seungkwan whimpering as the older looks at everyone, “I can’t…I can’t do this! Please don’t ask me to do this!”

Chan calls for his name and Seungkwan instantly calms down as they share an eye contact. “No, hyung. You can do it. Do it for me…okay?” Seungkwan closes his eyes and nods as his tears continue pouring down.

“I…I love you, everyone. Tell the Carats that I’m sorry I couldn’t come home.” Chan looked at them once more, and he notices that nobody’s looking at him because of the incredible amount of guilt eating at them from the inside. “Don’t be sad. Don’t cry now, because you’re all doing a good job. You all did a good job.”

Light screams. “Now!”

Chan closes his eyes and whispers. “I’ll always be with you.”

Seungcheol screams as he brings his power down on Chan’s body. The others also follow and they feel the darkness inside Chan dissipating. The ground shakes from the intensity of their attack, and Chan…

Chan remains smiling.

A few minutes pass and they exhaust their powers in extinguishing the curse inside Chan. When Light feels the youngest’s hands go loose from his, he lets go and cries as he continues holding Chan’s limp arm.

Soonyoung breaks down crying and he claws at Chan’s clothes, “Chan, come back! Come back to me, please!” Soonyoung holds Chan’s lifeless body and he screams his unsaid feeling and agonies. Seokmin joins him and mourns beside Chan’s corpse, and they all want the same thing.

They want Chan to wake up.

“Channie…Chan m-my baby…Chan wake up…please!” Jeonghan ends up kissing Chan’s cheeks in the hopes of waking him up, but as time pass by and Chan doesn’t open his eyes, reality sinks deeper and deeper inside him. Jisoo holds the youngest’s face and he instantly cries harder upon regretting how much he neglected Chan. This was the only time Jisoo held Chan this close, and he can’t do that anymore.

Seungcheol and Jihoon hold each other as they look at their members desperately waking Chan up. It’s a moment of panic, anger, fear, and sadness for everyone, and both men exhaust themselves in crying as they look at Chan.

“Hao…babe say something…” Jun empties his tears on Minghao’s shoulders, while the younger is blank-faced. His tears continuously run down his face but he hasn’t spoken a thing nor has he moved from his place. He’s just staring at Chan’s face, wondering how much he would give for Chan to live again.

Mingyu continuously howls Chan’s name, and Wonwoo silently cries as his body shakes violently from the tears. “Chan! Chan, I’m sorry! Chan, come back!” Mingyu screams from the pain, and he wants it to stop, but everytime he looks at Chan’s peaceful face, he can’t help but call his name again and again.

Hansol...is crying the hardest. Chan, Seungkwan, and him have always been close since they were the maknae line. Now that Chan’s gone, it’s like a part of his life has been taken. Hansol has seen dark before, but not like this. He stumbles on the ground, heaving for air as he looks at Seungkwan hugging Chan’s head as he whispers “I love you” and “I already miss you” to the youngest ears.

Chan’s name is the only thing on the mind of Kuja, Jecht, and Golbez. He was a boy who was unknown to them and completely unrelated, but the way that even Light cried for him has them realizing just how much Chan mattered to everyone. They also shed a few tears seeing the other boys go into a frenzied state upon realizing that the boy is dead, but this wasn’t their scene, so they opened their portals and went back to Edge of Madness, leaving the warriors of Cosmos to fully mourn their youngest.

* * *

Cosmos stands up from her seat when he sees her warriors coming towards her. She was worried for Chan when she received the news that the youngest was missing. She flies towards them in a calm speed, the tip of her gown ghosting over the surface of her sanctuary’s waters.

“Did you find him? How’s Chan?” Cosmos abruptly stopped a few meters away from them when he sees Light carrying Chan’s battered body. She thinks she’s going crazy, but she blinks as she realizes that she senses none of her powers inside Chan.

In fact, she senses no soul from the boy.

“My lady…” Light shakily exhales, and he sheds a tear. Cosmos looks at the other warriors and the redness in their eyes give away so much information that Cosmos does not want to hear.

“Chan is dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry...


	15. Remorse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day arrives.

Soonyoung watches the sun rise on a new day. The fires of the star cast the world on a lively glow, and Soonyoung's eyes are filled with brightness as the dark sky slowly transformed a bright gray. 

The sky looks beautiful, and Soonyoung could just smile at the wonder of the once foreign world. The seasons changed, too, and the snows danced around him as he looked at the beach that is now frozen. Its shores are now a mix of ice and sand, almost everything around him is a reminder of his current boyfriend, Seokmin.

He should smile, but he can't.

He feels a weight gently drop on his right, but he doesn't mind checking who it is. Soonyoung just kept looking to how the seasons paint the sky on their own hues: spring had blue, summer had gold, fall had orange, now winter had gray. 

That's how Soonyoung is on the inside, and probably everyone feels the same way inside, too: gray.

The man beside him speaks, and Soonyoung recognizes his voice immediately. "Soonie…baby, you need to get dressed." Seokmin cages his arms around the older for warmth, which is ironic because he had ice, while the older had fire.

"I...I can't…" Soonyoung smiles as his tears fail in hiding his feelings. "It hurts when I see him. It hurts so much, Seokmin. I-I don't deserve to see him."

Seokmin can't offer anything but a hug and sympathy. Everyone is hurting, but they all know that Soonyoung, the love of his life, has been having nightmares about the recent tragedy. He's spent the past few days alone, looking at the horizon with a faraway gaze, and Seokmin knows where his mind's at. His boyfriend is spiraling down an abyss, where he might lose him too if he stays put. So even though he's hurting too, Seokmin has to be strong for the person he loves the most. 

"Soonie, look at me." Soonyoung shakes his head, but Seokmin holds his face firmly until the older is forced to look at his boyfriend's adoring eyes. "Soonyoung, have you forgotten? I'm here with you. When you feel weak, you can lean on me. I'm always right here."

Soonyoung shakily exhales and he caresses Seokmin's hands as he leans to the younger's touch. Seokmin presses their foreheads together and he waits for Soonyoung to gather himself. "You're hurting too, Seok. Don't even lie to me, I can hear you crying when you think I'm asleep. I…I don't want to burden you further."

Seokmin's brows knit at the older's words, "You're not a burden, Soonie! You are the furthest existence that can ever burden me! You, Light, and the members are the only reason I'm not losing my sanity right now!"

Soonyoung sniffs and his sobs cease as Seokmin holds him near, keeping him close so he doesn't fall again to his thoughts. The older wipes his tears and gives Seokmin a meaningful smile. "What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

"Believe me, babe…" Seokmin helps Soonyoung up and removes the snow and sand clinging to his pants, "...you deserve this and way more."

Soonyoung smiled, and this time, even he knows it's genuine and real, like the love he feels for the man in front of him. He leans forward and kisses Seokmin on his lips. "I love you. I love you so much." 

Seokmin smiles and hugs him, his huge hands offering solace for the older. "I love you, too."

Seokmin examined his boyfriend for a minute, "Did you already take a bath? I already did earlier but if you haven't, I could join you."

Soonyoung shakes his head, "I already took one before you came." 

Seokmin twirled his ring, Soonyoung did the same and their clothes transformed to a crisp black suit that made their bodies warm in the middle of winter.

They went back to the camp to find Light and the others all in formal, black attire. Even Light had replaced all of his armor and helmet with a suit. They look at the pair, and Soonyoung almost shied away from the eyes trailing him, but they nodded in acknowledgement, some with half of their lips smiling. None of them bothered to look happy since today's event gravely differs from all the times the members have worn formal dresses.

Light opens the portal to their sanctuary, and they step inside to meet Cosmos and Chan.

Today was the youngest's funeral.

* * *

"We are all gathered here to witness a warrior's ascent to eternal peace. Lee Chan was a brave man, and the most powerful warrior I have been given the privilege of meeting. What he did, the sacrifice he committed for everyone, was nothing short of heroic. And I will be forever bound to be grateful for him." This is the first time that the goddess has given a eulogy, since this is also the first time Cosmos had to mourn the death of a warrior in the middle of war. If Chan had died without the curse inside him, she can put the youngest to a resurrection period, by natural law.

Chan's death made a goddess cry.

Cosmos gently lets herself down and walks beside the altar to offer the bouquet of lilies on her hand, which symbolized eternal life because that's what's waiting for Chan on the other side. 

"Before Chan passes completely into the afterlife, let us hear one last message that they would like to say to the youngest." Cosmos floats to the side as she lets the men go to the youngest one by one. Cosmos' throne was transformed to an altar where Chan lied. It is beautiful, and the youngest looked like he could wake up any time due to how handsome he looked under the power Cosmos has imbued to the altar. 

There is no casket nor coffin, it was just Chan's beautiful self lying down, with his deathbed waiting to be filled with flowers.

Light follows next, and he speaks after he put the bouquet of gladioli flowers on the altar. "Gladioli flowers represent strength of character, and yours was the strongest I've ever witnessed." Light strokes Chan's forehead, and he gives a bittersweet smile at how warm Chan feels, like he's still alive somehow. "Goodbye, Chan. I'm happy for the time we had, no matter how short it was. No power can harm the gates of heaven, now that you're there to protect it."

Hansol follows next, and it took him a few minutes to compose himself as he broke down crying while laying down his own basket of white carnations. He wipes his eyes and snot with a handkerchief as he speaks, his voice hoarse. "It's so unfair how the heavens made you so selfless. It's also so cruel how fate led you to twelve men you loved but couldn't even spare you a quarter of the same love you had for them. These flowers will always be a reminder of how untainted your love was, and how innocent you really are. We don't deserve you, Chan." Hansol's body shakes as he holds Chan's lifeless hands. "You can go back home now, where love will be enough so that no one can hurt you anymore."

Seungkwan had to drag Hansol away from Chan before he can have his turn. Hansol was comforted by the others as Seungkwan took his turn. He lays the flowers beside Chan and he smiles. "I got the same flowers as Nonie's, but they're in a different color. They're pink, and they represent my undying love for you. You may leave us now, but make sure to carry my love to the other side, okay? If you don't then I'll follow you to death and nag you." Seungkwan leans down and presses a soft kiss on Chan's forehead. "I love you, Chan."

Minghao stares for a certain amount of time when his turn came. He stood there, with his own basket of chrysanthemums dangling from his hands. He stares at Chan, and he only sees his biggest mistake.

He lays the flowers down, and kisses Chan on his cheeks before whispering "I love you. I wish we had more time. I'm sorry for everything."

Minghao came back with tears in his eyes, but no one knew what he said.

Mingyu kneels beside the altar and keeps his head down as he lays the stargazer lilies on the altar. "I…I don't know what to say. I can't even look at you." Mingyu's fingers fidget with Chan's hands and he bursts into tears while feeling the soft hands of the youngest. "I want you by my side, Chan. I want you back with me...with us. God, I'm so stupid for not noticing how much I loved you, Chan. But now…" Mingyu braves himself to take a look at Chan, and he's beautiful in the older's eyes. "...now, I pay the price. I deserve this pain, and you deserve to rest. Goodbye, Channie."

Seokmin gives Mingyu a brief hug before walking towards the altar. He actually didn't know what to say because Chan and him were never really the type of friends who would always be together. The last time they both talked was during one of their training sessions. 

That was it. In the few months they spent, he only shared one moment with the youngest.

"Phalaenopsis orchids are hard to take care of, but once they bloom, they really are beautiful. These flowers remind me of you, Channie. Did you know orchids in funerals are an equivalent of "I will always love you"? Because that's what I want you to know, Chan."

Seokmin leans down and presses a chaste kiss on Chan's forehead. "I will always love you, Chan. Until we meet again, I'll never stop loving you."

Jihoon takes slow strides until he reaches the altar, since he's one of the few like Mingyu, who are scared to see Chan on a deathbed. Jihoon finds himself unable to drop his flowers on its designated place as he looks up to prevent the tears from flowing. He cried much too much already, and for him, Chan didn't deserve his tears.

"I…" Jihoon starts, but he gets choked up with his emotions immediately. "Chan, I…God, why?" His voice breaks as he lets the sadness flow. His basket of hydrangeas has already fallen down on the altar, and his tears drip on its petals. "Why him? Why did it have to be you, of all people?"

Jihoon couldn't find the strength to speak once he caught a glimpse of Chan's face, and he just kept crying for the next few moments as he stared at the youngest.

Wonwoo walked fast and placed his own basket of dendrobiums on the altar before dropping to his knees as he let out a quiet sob. He lets his fingers dance around Chan's hair as he continuously pours his tears in lament.

When Cosmos flushed all of the venom in Chan's body, Wonwoo was there. The others weren't so brave, but Wonwoo thought he had to be there for Chan, even though he was dead already. He witnessed Chan become beautiful again, and he witnessed how Chan was dressed in his white suit as he laid in peace.

"I love you." Wonwoo said through his tears. "You will always be my greatest regret."

Everyone just lost it on Soonyoung's turn. They were all crying at the sound of his painful howls of Chan's name as he hugged the boy's limp body.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll do better! I'll be…I'll be better, and I will love you and we will talk until morning comes and...and...fuck, I'll do anything!" Soonyoung screams again and his tears make their mark on Chan's clothes.

"Come back to me, Chan! I won't leave you until you come back!" Soonyoung's breaths are getting quicker every minute as he draws Chan's name over and over. The other members saved him from his misery by pulling him away from the altar, and Seokmin was the one who put his boyfriend's basket of daffodils beside Chan since Soonyoung was too overwhelmed with his emotions that he forgot. Jisoo had to use his powers to make Soonyoung sleep. Not that it would help because once Soonyoung closed his eyes, he was already thinking of Chan.

Junhui brought the same basket of flowers as Minghao's, chrysanthemums. After laying it down, he silently prayed for Chan's soul. He stayed still for a moment, before delivering the speech that Minghao failed to execute.

"It was really…unfortunate how you had to leave us. Your death was so untimely and unfair. You were too young and…so kind. You had the one thing the rest of us lacked, and we still don't know what that thing is. But maybe it's for the best, because that unknown thing might be exclusive to someone with such wonderful existence like you."

Junhui kisses Chan's hands, "'I'm sorry', and 'I love you' all seem like empty words at this point and I'll probably never get to know if you're doing fine up there. But I do know that you are in peace now, and that's what matters to me."

Jisoo keeps his calm and collected nature as he lays his basket of tulips down the altar. He stands proudly, his composure never fading, but everyone knows he's crumbling down inside.

He had never been good in dealing with emotional stress because he bottles it up so that he can be the older brother that usually listens and solves the problems. As he holds Chan's hands, Jisoo lets out a pained sob. 

"I remember…h-how curious you were about my life in California and how you listened as I went on and on about the homesickness I dealt with. You are one of the pillars that kept me going, and because of you, I always knew what to do. Now that you're gone…I'm just lost." 

Jisoo lets out one sphere of green light and he showers the altar with it, making Chan glow healthier along with the flowers, teeming with life. "I love you but I failed you, Chan. I hope you can forgive me."

Jeonghan puts the basket of roses on the altar and he sits at the remaining empty basket space near Chan's head. He cradles the youngest's head and lays it on his shoulders, and from a certain distance, it looked like Chan was really just sleeping.

Jeonghan pats him on his head, "It might seem like I was always joking, but I really did see you as my baby. Even though you were already experienced when I came into Pledis, you always went with my constant teasing. You were one of the people who helped ease me into a trainee's hard life, but I never even repaid anything that you gave me. I know you, Chan. You would probably say that we don't have to give you anything, but at this point, I'd give up everything…just to have you back."

Jeonghan kisses Chan's hair and his eyes get blurry with tears with the youngest's head nestled on his neck. He rocks the youngest slowly, and they share a quiet moment together as the others watch the painful scene.

The older brings Chan back to his former position and arranges his hair that he tousled too much in the short moment they shared. "My baby…my precious baby, Chan. Come visit me in my dreams, okay? It's okay if you yell at me or hate me, I'll be fine as long as I get to see you again."

During Seungcheol's turn, he ushers the others to join him. Not knowing what the leader is about to do, they were skeptical. Nonetheless, they formed a circle around the altar, and they watch Seungcheol as he dropped his own basket of flowers. Unlike the rest of the members', Seungcheol picked something unique and special.

"I know that these aren't the flowers one would usually give on a funeral but these…were your favorite. Baby's breath is something that gravely reminds me of you. It is a symbol of undying love and purity, much like how you loved everyone dear to you. You were so passionate and immaculate, and from the moment I laid my eyes on you in that green practice room, I already knew that you're going to shake the world."

Seungcheol pauses and he uses the sleeve of his suit to wipe the tears. "We used to tell each other that we don't want anyone to leave, that we will never even entertain the idea of disbanding even if we get exhausted of each other. But we…we broke you, Chan. If only we did our jobs as your friends, as your members, as your brothers…maybe even as lovers, we could've saved you. Now…that's just another reality we're not going to experience, and we deserve it. I deserve it. You were such a beautiful soul, you look so beautiful, and I know I have no right to say this but…I really want you to wake up now. I was so stupid for not saying how much I loved you, Chan, so I say it to you now, even though I know it's too late." Seungcheol kisses Chan on his cheeks and gives him one last hug before their member passes on.

Cosmos looks up to the sky, as if she was communicating with it, and the heavens shine a light for Chan. His body gently floats, while Light and the remaining 12 watch as his body slowly fade into threads of light.

"Chan...come back…" Soonyoung weakly reaches for Chan's hands, and their skins connect for one last time as the youngest completely disappears in front of them. The only evidence that Chan existed were the petals decorating the empty altar. Soonyoung sighs as he and the others silently cry in the new reality that they are now facing.

A reality without Chan.

* * *

It was already dark, and they haven't changed from their casual clothes. Even Light sat beside them as they watch Soonyoung play with the embers that his fire is emitting. It almost looked normal, if it weren't for the empty spot where Chan used to sit, and the empty tent that Chan left standing the night the 12 of them committed their grave mistakes.

"I could only imagine how much pain the 12 of you are in." Light speaks, the skin around his eyes reddish. "I didn't know it would hurt this much, having a friend die. We only met a few weeks, maybe a month, but it hurts."

"Feels like hell, huh?" Hansol mutters. 

"I hate to be the one saying this but…we're running out of time. Trust me, but after what happened…" Light cradles his head on his hands, and he frowns with trouble evident on his face. "The goddess is angry. I've never seen Cosmos this shaken before, and this will probably the first time in history where Cosmos will be the one instigating a war."

"I don't blame her." Seungcheol stares at the dancing flames, but his eyes are dancing on a dangerous emotion: revenge. "Chan wouldn't want me to kill, and that's the only thing keeping me from marching to the northern and killing those assholes."

Jihoon gently soothes the anger away from his lover by slinking his hands to the older's trembling knuckles. "Cheol…I hate to be so pessimistic, but doing that may only lead to your funeral. And I'm too broken to handle another."

Seungcheol relaxes, and sighs as he holds Jihoon's hands. He mumbles an apology, and they share a quick peck before going back to silence.

Light contemplates for a moment, but he decides to tell the boys something that Wonwoo, him, and Cosmos has discovered when they were preparing Chan for the funeral. He glances shortly to Wonwoo, who was already looking at him, and they share a silent agreement. 

"Everyone, I must tell you something." Light stands up, and he removes his coat and unbuttons his shirt.

Seungkwan raises an eyebrow at the warrior's actions. "Excuse me but we're really not in the mood for a stripshow."

Hansol slaps his arm and Seungkwan just scowls.

"During the funeral's preparations, Chan's body needed to be cleaned. If you all remember, Cosmos and I asked if anyone wanted to help but only Wonwoo did." Light continues as he unfastens more buttons on his sleeves.

"Yes, but why are you undressing?" Jeonghan asks, his attention piqued.

Wonwoo lets Light prepare himself and he does the explaining. "We discovered something inside Chan's body. Well, other than the venom inside him, Chan also unlocked something in his powers."

Light grunts as he harnesses immense amounts of energy inside his body. Particles of light surround him, and he screams as the power manifests thickly around his body. The others stand up in alarm, except for Wonwoo who was diligently watching.

"Won, get away!" Mingyu reaches for the older, but Wonwoo didn't budge from his seat.

"You all need to watch." Wonwoo says and he turns his attention back to Light as the warrior slowly transforms. 

Light's power delivers a huge surge of light, blowing Soonyoung's fire away and temporarily blinding the others. Once the surge calms down, and the brightness emitted from Light's body dims, they all look in awe as the warrior presents himself with a different set of armor and a greatly heightened power signature coming from the thick and bright aura surrounding him

The 12 stared in awe as the warrior stands before them looking glorious and more powerful than ever. However, Light reverts back to his original blue armor without his helmet and heaves for air. "What I just did…was unlock my second form. I-I have used it in the past wars, but it takes severe control and will strain your powers to hellish proportions if you do not know how to regulate your powers."

Wonwoo went to the warrior and ushered him to seat. He continues relaying the information to his members. "Chan did the exact opposite. He did not control nor restrain his powers, but there was a trace of his second form that manifested in his body. Cosmos told us that it was possible to unlock a second form in that way because Chan had immense aura under his disposal."

Jeonghan sits, seemingly interested in this new information. "Wait, what's a second form?" 

Light answers, his breathing already normal. "Second forms are an evolution of both the body and powers of a warrior. Cosmos puts it inside our bodies when her magic becomes fused with out souls. It's like a safe where all of our greatest magics are stored so that we can't always exhaust it. That explains why it's so hard to unlock and why I reverted back to my original form. Second forms are meant to be used wisely, only in time of dire need. We really need this, since a war is coming fast." Light looks up at the boys' eyes and he sees nothing but determination. "But I won't hold it against you if you all wanted to go home now. In light of the most recent tragedy, I don't even want to participate."

They all stayed in an uncomfortable silence for a while. Until Seungcheol asked one question they were all afraid to approach. "When we return home…without Chan…what will happen then?"

Light visibly contemplates if he wants to answer, but he does because he figures that the boys deserve to know. "He will be forgotten. Every memory of him will be erased from everyone he knew, except the 12 of you. Time automatically augments itself to the realities of every person, and Chan died in a different one from where he was born. In order to prevent a paradox, everyone on Earth will only know Seventeen as 12 members, and not even Chan's parents will know that he ever existed."

The others all fell into silence after that, but Seungcheol looked very determined as he directs an icy look towards the warrior.

"Train us. Make us bleed. Train us harder until we learn to unlock our second forms." Seungcheol twisted his ring and his suit transforms to his combat training gear.

"After what Chan had endured, I'm not leaving this world until I'm sure Chaos is dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone!


	16. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning about second forms, Seungcheol finds another reason to train harder. Light complies to his request, and he ruthlessly refines them until they reach their peak.
> 
> War is nearing, and everyone is making sure that they will fight to the death.

Seungcheol tumbles to the ground, dark magic reverberating around his frame as his sword slips from his hands and land a few meters from where he lied. He forces a steely look towards his opponent as he hides the ache of his muscles.

Light goes towards him and points the tip of his blade near Seungcheol's chin. "Surrender?"

Seungcheol pants, his sweat making his skin and hair shine under the heat of the setting sun. For a moment, Seungcheol wanted to comply with Light. He wants to rest, to lie down and sleep. His body and mind aches for it because they've been doing this for five days straight and none of his members are close to unlocking their hidden powers.

Seungcheol disappears and he teleports to where his sword lied, scooping the blade with his right as he summons a black saber on his left. "No surrender!" He exclaims, and a flicker of surprise passes through Lights features as he smiles.

"Very well." Two words, and the sparring continues.

The rest of the members lay on the ground as they watch Seungcheol try his hardest to overpower Light. However, the rest of them are holding little to no expectations for their leader. Since Chan's death, their trainings tripled in difficulty per Seungcheol's request.

They've been sparring with each other, and due to their competitive natures, some duels ended up personal, but it's nothing they couldn't handle with maturity.

What they can't handle, is Light, because the warrior have been battling all of them since dawn. It's a competition where the last man standing wins, and Seungcheol is the only one left from their group.

Light is showing signs of exhaustion, but not like Seungcheol's. His control and patience are almost non-existent now, and Jeonghan winces as Seungcheol tumbles again.

"He's not going to give up, is he?" Seungkwan mutters beside Jeonghan, and the older just sighs.

"You know how he is."

"Light's been asking the same question for a while now." Soonyoung adds to the conversation.

"8 times now, actually, and he might end up way worse than you if he keeps on persisting." Jisoo says as he uses his magic to snap Soonyoung's broken wing to its right place. The younger screams, a loud curse coming from his mouth.

"Keep it down, Soonie." Seokmin adds ice to the bruise on his wings and the older's face relaxes. He mutters a simple thanks and Seokmin just nods.

They just watch the duel unfold, already waiting for Seungcheol to surrender so he can rest while they tend to his wounds.

Seungcheol fails to keep his stance when Light barrels him with lightning, fire, and ice. Although his magic is nothing compared to his members, Seungcheol was surprised because Light never used magic to counter them.

Seungcheol grits his teeth as an ice shard pierces his left shoulder. He kneels in pain and he lets go of his weapons, which soon disappear as his magic runs out. He really needs to rest and surrender, but the memory of Chan is keeping him.

He can't surrender, but he badly wants to.

Light stands a few distance from where Seungcheol is slumped, and he asks again.

"Surrender?" He doesn't point his blade this time, and he just looks at Seungcheol as he waits for his answer.

_ You have to surrender, Seungcheol. _

Seungcheol drops his gaze to the ground, and he shakes his head.

Light expected Seungcheol to go back to his stance and maybe conjure another weapon of some type, but he just stands up and does nothing. 

Minghao glances at his other members, "Hey, what is he planning?" Panic spreads to their group as Light launches himself towards their unmoving leader.

Jihoon is the first to scream as Seungcheol remains standing, "Stop!"

Seungcheol gives in and he surrenders as his body falls into darkness.

* * *

Seungcheol rubs his eyes and yawns as he slowly sits up. He takes in the dimness of his surroundings, and it takes him 3 minutes to realize that he's in his tent.

It takes him 5 minutes to realize that it's already nighttime.

A small voice from his right startles him. "Cheol? Cheol, you're awake!"

He smiles as Jihoon's bulky yet small arms wrap his torso. If this happened months ago, Jihoon would just probably look at him, maybe ask a few questions but he'd only get the slightest touch from him.

So he takes advantage of how far they've come, and he rocks Jihoon slowly in his arms. Jihoon makes a cute noise and they fall together on their blankets.

His eyes adjust in the darkness and Seungcheol sees Jihoon's smiling face, although laced with a little concern. "Hyung…do you feel fine?"

Seungcheol snorts. "Hyung? Really?"

Jihoon's face shifts to a snarky one and he punches Seungcheol on his shoulders lightly. The older is surprised as he feels no pain in his body, but he quickly assumed that maybe he fainted in the middle of the duel and the others probably healed him.

"I don't want to call you baby, babe, or honey. I hate that shit."

"Is that why you settled with hyung?"

"Hmm...yeah. And from what happened earlier, I really really respect you now. What you did was admirable and inspiring. Although you scared me for a bit, but I know you'd pull through."

Seungcheol smiles. "I didn't do much though. I just hated the thought of surrendering after what happened to…to Chan. But I feel bad that I did think of surrendering before I fainted. We started this training to unlock those so-called second forms but none of us aren't even close."

Jihoon sits up beside him. "You…don't remember?"

Seungcheol sits up too. "What do you mean?" 

Jihoon looks at him intensely, "Cheol, how much do you remember before you fainted?"

Seungcheol frowns, his mind carding through his memories earlier. "I remember kneeling in front of Light after he attacked. He asked me again to surrender and…and I really didn't want to. But my body kept on calling for me to just surrender and my vision…it just went black and I fainted."

Jihoon's mouth opens, and closes, and it repeats for a few moments as he contemplates something.

"Jihoon, you need to tell me what you know. I can tell that you know something I don't."

Jihoon gulps as Seungcheol holds him firmly. "Cheol…you entered your second form earlier."

* * *

** _6 hours ago_ **

Jihoon is the first to scream as Seungcheol remains standing, "Stop!"

Light brings his blade down, but he's soon overcome with fear as Seungcheol stares into him. The boy's eyes are a deep shade of black, and Light remains frozen in his position.

Seungcheol is holding his sword with his bare hand.

Before Light could address him, he's thrown backwards by a loud explosion from Seungcheol's body. Dark currents materialize around him as it slowly lets out all of the dormant power lying inside. Once Light regains his footing, he marvels at what Seungcheol just achieved. He walks towards Seungcheol, but one flick of the latter's fingers releases an obsidian energy that incinerates their whole terrain. 

Light reaches out to him, but he freezes as the haze fades away and he sees Seungcheol inside the cocoon of his aura.

It was just a flicker, a foreshadowing of his true power. However, Light sees no trace of the man in it. He sees black claws and talons, a winged humanoid that seemed to be forsaken from the depths of hell as his dark, ghoulish eyes stare into nothingness. He's become a hybrid of human and beast. Seungcheol's face is staring at him, but it held no amount of emotion that the young man expressed.

The dark aura dies as Seungcheol falls into unconsciousness, reverting back to his clothed human body. His members and Light all rush towards him, some limping due to the injuries they sustained, but the rush of concern for Seungcheol blankets their pain.

Jihoon cradles his face and lightly taps it as he tries to wake Seungcheol up. Soonyoung places a finger near his nostrils to check if the leader's still breathing. He releases a shaky laugh as air hits his finger. Seungcheol's still in the game.

"What just happened? You guys…everyone saw that, right?....Right!?" Hansol's voice rises in panic.

"It's his second form." Light speaks, not even hesitating amidst the rising hysteria of the boys.

"But...that's not him! That _ thing _ can't be him! Seungcheol hyung is not a de…" Mingyu stops, realizing that the word that just threatened to spill from his mouth was something that he never thought he would say to his leader.

"Everyone, calm down. In the past, most of the warriors transform when they achieve their second forms. That's just Seungcheol's own form. He's not a demon and he'll never be one. It's just that…" Light pauses, looking at the boys' concerned eyes. "My powers change when I enter second form. Originally, I harness the power of light and drive it into my sword and shield to deliver attacks. I can also use it to control elemental magic to a minimum level but in my second form, I don't harness light because I become a conduit of it. I become the power itself, and that's why I only use it in dire moments."

Light directs his gaze to the unconscious man beneath Jihoon. "Seungcheol's power just changed. He controls holy darkness in his first form, but in his second, his power becomes pure darkness."

"Wait." Jihoon holds Light's arm. "Let's wait for him to wake up. He needs to know his own power and its repercussions. We need to know everything about our second forms and if it could hurt us or our own members. The enemies might use this as leverage if we don't study our forms well."

Light nods. "Understood." He breaks the training barrier down and their surroundings return to its original, untouched state. "Everyone, return to camp. Jisoo, you know what to do. If anyone wants to help, then he is welcomed."

Jisoo nods. Minghao levitates Seungcheol in the air and Jisoo bathes his body with green, healing orbs. Jihoon reaches for the older's hands and he holds it tight as he is gently directed inside the camp.

Jeonghan runs towards Jisoo. "Shua! Baby, let me help you."

Jisoo smiles and gently shakes his head. "No, Hannie, leave it to me. Seungcheol only sustained minor wounds. He fainted due to overexertion of his powers but his body is mostly recovering now." He clamps his hands with Jeonghan and he leans to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You just rest. Does your thigh still hurt?"

Jeonghan pouts, but he still winces with every step. "A little."

Jisoo just smiles as his boyfriend feigns bravery. "Just go. I'll take care of you later." Jisoo whispers in Jeonghan's ear. "Maybe I'll reward you too if you're a good boy."

Jeonghan freezes, his blush hot on his cheeks and Jisoo just laughs as he passes him by.

* * *

They gather around the bonfire that evening as Seungcheol and Jihoon eat the food that everyone left for them. The older is touched that Jihoon didn't eat with the others so they can eat together, but he's still shaken from the fact that he, indeed, was the first among the 12 of them who reached his second form. "So it's true? I transformed earlier?"

Light speaks beside him. "It is. Even though you remained unmoving, I lunged to attack you because I could sense your energy overflowing. I didn't know that you were entering second form, and I just realized it after you blocked my attack because you were holding my sword with one bare hand."

Seungcheol's mouth and eyes open wide. He pointed to himself, silently asking everyone if he really did that. They all snickered and nodded.

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"No, fortunately." Light answered. "But you didn't know. The fact that you didn't remember anything means that you were unaware that you transformed. Although not by accident. You were triggered by thoughts of surrendering."

Seungcheol nods in understanding. "Yeah. My body kept on calling for me to surrender over and over, and I thought that it was just from fatigue. But it was actually my own power calling me to surrender to it. I thought I fell unconscious when my vision turned dark, but it was just me being drowned out by my powers."

Jihoon turned to Light. "But if that is true, then Seungcheol is not in control of his body in his second form?" 

Light sighs, but he nods. "Yes. We are not sure when this might occur again, but let's assume that if this happens in the middle of a battle, then everyone needs to get away from him so that he can't hurt anyone. However, know that if Seungcheol accidentally hurts one of you, it's not his fault. There's a technique to control second forms, but the war is due 4 days from now. We are short on time, and I'm sorry for being blunt but among you, Seungcheol is the only one that have unlocked his second form."

Seungkwan snorts. "That much is true."

Wonwoo sighs. "We're so screwed."

"Are we really sure we're going to battle with how little we achieved?" Minghao flails his arms in frustration. "I mean, we've had our fair share of fights with the other enemies but we've never fought all of them at the same time. Sure, we might be larger in numbers, but those people are not afraid to kill! Sorry if I'm being pessimistic but if we do this for the sake of this world, I'm sure that most of us will probably die."

"Then we do it for Chan." Seungcheol says, and those six words are enough to silence everyone's doubts and second thoughts. "Chan did not hesitate to kill for us. Chan knew the risks, but he still went on with it because of us. Sure, we might die, but if I'm fighting for Chan then I will gladly die fighting."

Minghao looks down in shame, and the others comfort him. Seungcheol continues, "You all know I love Jihoon. I love him very much." Seungcheol looks at Jihoon to find the younger's face a shade of crimson as he drinks some water. "But as time went by, I find myself also thinking about Chan. Whenever Light asked me to surrender in our trainings, Chan's smile automatically appears in front of me. It was like my mind is seeking him for strength, and I've been thinking about it lately but I've noticed…" Seungcheol huffs in annoyance as he scratches his eyebrows. "If I say this I know you'll all probably hate me."

He stares at his members, and they stay quiet in anticipation of what he's about to say. Jihoon reaches for his hand and they share a brief glance. Seungcheol feels more guilty, so he interlaces both of their fingers before he breaks Jihoon's heart.

"I'm sorry Jihoon but I think I love Chan, too."

He closes his eyes and prepares for Jihoon to retract his hand away, to slap him, to run away and cry. He expects his members to hate him, to feel disgusted with him that he had the nerve to love another while he still had Jihoon.

Most of all, he feels disgusted with himself because he only noticed his feelings for Chan after his death. So he expects the worst.

However, Jihoon only tightens his hold on Seungcheol, so the older opens his eyes and surprisingly looks at Jihoon's smiling face.

Hansol clears his throat and Seungcheol finds him and the others all smiling at him.

Seungcheol is clearly puzzled, and Jihoon whispers something to his ears. "You're late to the party."

Seungcheol's eyes widen even more and he looks at the others, clearly lost at the sudden information. He points to Minghao, "You and Junhui are together, right?!"

Minghao nods. 

"But you love Chan?" 

Minghao nods again. "Yes. That's why I felt ashamed when you told me to fight for Chan. I can't believe that I was so focused on the negatives that I forgot about him."

Seungcheol frowns. "But you have Jun!" He turns to Jun on his right. "You're fine with this?" 

Jun nods. "Yeah. I love Chan, too."

Seungcheol grunts in frustration. "I mean romantically! I love Jihoon and Chan romantically, not just as a friend!"

Jun shrugs. "Well, you just have to share Chan with us."

Seungcheol's jaw drops even more. Jihoon closes his mouth and directs his head to face him. "Cheollie, we're all whipped for Chan. And same as you, we only realized it after his death."

Seungkwan nods and lays his head on Hansol's chest. "Yeah. This is probably heaven's punishment to us for being such careless brothers to him. Our love for him will grow stronger every day but we can never express it to him because he's already up there."

Mingyu nods, his arms wrapped around Wonwoo. "Yeah, Chan might be gone, but he's surely alive in our hearts."

Wonwoo snickers. "Chan's probably laughing at how miserable we are right now. Yah, you punk!" He screams at the night sky. "Are you happy up there? Your hyungs have become hopeless romantics because of you!"

They all laugh, and tonight is probably the first time they all had a good time while talking about Chan. Seungcheol looks at Soonyoung and he's glad that the younger is also smiling now, too.

Light stands up, a smile eased on his lips. "Okay, I'm going to leave you all for a bit. I have to meet Cosmos and discuss battle preparations with her. You can all stay here and talk. Wait for me until I come back, okay?" 

The members nod, and Light opens the portal to Cosmos' lair. He steps inside and the portal disappears with him, leaving the 12 boys inside their quarters. 

Seungcheol speaks, his eyes glimmering faintly with mischief. "So…how did you all figure out your feelings for Chan?"

Jisoo answers immediately. "Oh I have a good story. You see, a few nights ago, Hannie actually moaned Chan's name in his sleep—" 

"SHUA NOT THAT STORY!" Jeonghan screams.

* * *

Light makes his way to Cosmos' throne, his armored feet making heavy noises on the surface of the waters. Cosmos notices his presence and looks at him, but she remains seated.

Light kneels in front of her, "My lady, we are making slow progress but Seungcheol has unlocked his second form."

Cosmos' face remains flat as she speaks, "Yes. I sensed the burst of his aura earlier."

Light stands up. "Cosmos, I—''

Cosmos interrupts him by raising her hand, signalling Light to stop talking. She looks up as she releases 13 threads of light that make their way up to the sky.

She closes her eyes and falls to the ground. Light catches her, panic easing slowly inside him.

"Cosmos! Cosmos, what's happening?!" 

Cosmos smiles, her eyes slowly closing. "I'm sorry, my warrior, but I will not be able to join you in fighting."

Light's mouth falls open. "No! Cosmos, why!?" 

Cosmos grabs Light's arms firmly. "Listen to me carefully. You need to gather the 12." Light looks at her eyes as Cosmos' body slowly disintegrates.

"Chaos is coming."

Light's eyes widen in horror as the ominous warning Cosmos left him repeats itself in his mind.

_ Chaos is coming. _

He runs quickly and opens the portal to go back to their camp.

* * *

The 12 boys' laughter ring loud as Seokmin shoves Soonyoung. "Wow, Soonyoung, you slut! You told me you couldn't wait for my dick!"

"What? It's not my fault Chan's so appealing. Actually, now that I think about it, a threesome with you two could've been nice."

That makes the laughter louder. Jeonghan speaks amidst the noise. "So who is the top? Really, you two are so ambiguous!"

Soonyoung clears his throat. "You see, I'm something of a versa. I like to be taken on both positions. You all know me, I don't like to be stuck on the same level!" 

Jihoon smirks. "So you'd gladly let Seokmin wreck you like what you did with him and your other hookups?" 

Soonyoung lets out a whistle. "Now, I'm actually imagining me riding Seok and wow, that's actually hot."

Seokmin shoves Soonyoung again and they fall over in laughter.

Minghao turns to Seungcheol. "What about you, hyung? How did your first time with Jihoon go?" 

Seungcheol looks at Jihoon and they sheepishly grin at each other. "Actually, we're still virgins. Nothing happened that night."

The others let out a collective groan. Jisoo and Seungkwan point to them accusingly. "You two were the reason everyone went horny that night because of the tension and then, you tell me nothing happened!?" 

Seungcheol nods.

Jisoo looks surprised. "Not even a blowjob?" 

Seungcheol shakes his head. 

Mingyu asks. "Anal fingering?" 

Jihoon shakes his head. 

Jun asks. "Making out?" 

Seungcheol blushes, and Jihoon covers his face in embarrassment. "Y-yeah, that. And I may have…played with his tail."

The members all roar and whistled at the two and both members just shied away.

"How did it feel, Jihoon? Was it weird?" Jun bumps Jihoon's shoulders, and Jihoon shouldn't really answer him, but he's feeling well tonight.

"It really feels weird because when he stroked it, I jolted upright and moaned. I don't know if anybody heard us but he kept his hands on my mouth as he repeatedly tugged my tail. It felt so damn good. You know that feeling when you're near climax? The intense build-up before it explodes? But in my case, it only builds up continuously and never explodes because it's not a dick."

Seungcheol smirks, "Yeah, it's like he's cumming all the time while never really cumming."

The rest of the members scream. Soonyoung speaks, "Wow, Jihoon, I'm jealous!" 

Seokmin just covers his mouth. "But imagine how good that must feel! The feeling that you're going to explode but it never really does and it just keeps building."

Jihoon goes redder and Seungcheol does too. Mingyu sees this and decides to tease the couple more. "That tail will bring many of your kinks to the surface."

Jihoon's eyes widen, "Yah Kim Mingyu, stop messing with my head!" 

They share another laughter before a gust of wind blows their fire away. The laughter dies, and they all share shocked expressions at the sudden wave of darkness.

"Haohao, what did you do?" Jun slaps Minghao's shoulders. The younger yelps and replies in annoyance.

"I didn't do anything, that wasn't me."

"Yeah right, you are the only one here who controls winds." Jeonghan scoffs.

"But it wasn't me!"

They all stay silent after that, and Soonyoung conjures another fire to shine a light in the darkness of night.

Light appears beside Soonyoung and the poor guy sets the whole camp on fire due to his shock. Junhui uses his powers to douse Soonyoung and the whole camp, and the situation ended with Soonyoung's sheepish apology.

Light shushes them all with a wave of his hand, and he looks at the 12 earnestly. "Everyone…"

The 12 watch him intently as his face frowns with every passing second.

"Cosmos is dead."

The silence that followed is terrifying.

"What happened?" Seungkwan gasps.

"I don't know."

Jisoo frowns. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't!"

They are all submerged in silence once more as they wait for Light to get even-headed. The warrior is shaken to his core since once again, the goddess is killed amidst the conflict.

Everyone is crestfallen, but no one expected the goddess' death to come so they were all out of sorts. No one could even cry due to how sudden it was.

"If she dies…" Hansol mutters. "...then we die too, right?"

They all look towards Light, who can only nod because it's just how it is.

Silence follows once again. Everyone's stuck whether to accept or believe their current predicament. Even Light is at a loss for words at the sheer suddenness of the situation.

The strong gust of wind returns, but this time, it lasts longer and it levitates the 13 warriors above the ground.

"Minghao!" Light screams. "What are you doing!?" 

Minghao screams back, "I'm not doing this!" 

When Light was about to reply, the clouds above them open and 13 threads of light spiral down towards them. Flashing lights appear in their chests as they are tugged towards the bright swirling energies.

It scatters and tethers to the light of their chests, and it covers their bodies in a comforting yet powerful brightness.

"What is this?" Seungcheol screams, still panicking.

"It's Cosmos." Light smiles. "It's a blessing from her!" 

Cosmos' energies materialize on their bodies, giving each of them new sets of armor.

The winds gently bring them back to the ground. All of them marvel at the sight of each other, and they touch the heavy metal hugging their bodies to further certify if it's real.

"It's kinda heavy...but I feel so powerful!" Seungcheol does a spin and slightly goes out of balance but he smiles. "But what is this?"

"It's the suit of a holy knight." Light steps forward, his once blue armor now turned white. "Look at the similarities of yours and mine, but you have dark patterns scattered throughout the platings because you control darkness."

"Wow, you look majestic!" Seungkwan beams towards Light, his hands copping a feel through out the intricate designs of the metal.

"You, as well. I never expected you to suit a mage's garb so well." Light examines the obvious differences between Soonyoung, Minghao, Jeonghan, Jisoo, and Seungkwan's clothes. They have more fabric than metal in their armors, but it's for their benefit because more metal will just weigh them down while flying.

"Mine's just casual clothing, though!" Jihoon twists his body to examine his back, trying to find anything protective in his garments.

"The dark trench coat suits you though. You look like Van Helsing." Hansol runs his fingers through the soft leather of Jihoon's clothes.

"Try releasing your wings." Light suggests. Since his abduction, Cosmos had time to reconfigure Jihoon's powers during his healing period. He can now ease into his beast forms easily without hurting himself, and he can conserve most of his energy since he can limit his morphing ability to specific parts of his body like his arms and legs. He can use some of his beast's wings for flight and he can also limit its size to how large or small he wants it to be.

"Dragon or Eagle?" Jihoon asks.

Minghao snorts. "Dude, stop flexing." 

Jihoon smiles as he gathers his power and releases his eagle wings. It feels heavier than usual and he frowns when he tries ruffling his feathers. "Did I make it too huge? It feels kinda heavy."

He turns to his members who are all busy picking their jaws from the ground. Light lets out a huff of air in amazement as the others remain speechless. "You look majestic, Jihoon."

The smaller male looks at his wings to see it gilded with steel platings. The armor traces from his back to each feathers, glinting with a faint color of jade when the steel reflects light.

He fully shapeshifts to his eagle form and his other members scream in awe as Jihoon emerges in full glory with his battle armor encompassing the beast's body from it's beak to its talons.

"Oh my God, I'm filled with goosebumps!" Seokmin screams, his hands coming up to his mouth. Some of his members are moved to tears at the mere beauty of Jihoon, so they shower him with hugs when he reverts back to his human form.

"You've come a long way, Hoon. We're so proud of you." Jeonghan ruffles the younger's hair, who only smile at him as he wipes the older's tears away.

Their short respite is broken as the winds gather in front of them and slowly build a fragment of Cosmos' form. Light gasps, and he kneels. The others follow him a bit late since they were shocked to see the goddess once again.

"I am severely reaching my apologies to each of you, but I hope that by now, my magic has reached you all. Chaos and his army march towards the bleeding gorge as we speak. This is painful for me to say, but the war will happen mere moments from now, and you will all have to fight."

None of the warrios move from their positions, but fear slowly spreads through their bodies. This was the reason why they received their armors tonight, because when dawn arrives, the war will commence.

"I am not completely dead, hence why you are still here in this world. I only need to rest because I've exhausted most of my powers. I won't be participating in the coming battle, but I will explain everything once the conflict reaches a halt. I have the utmost faith with you, my soldiers, and I know that you will prevail, even though an innocent life has already been sacrificed."

They look at the goddess, and Cosmos smiles at her legion. "Poor, battle-scarred warriors. Forgive me, I want to be with you. But allow me to rest, and soon...everything will make sense." Cosmos bows towards her warriors as the winds disperse away.

They slowly stand up one by one, and share a look of uncertainty and frail courage. Mingyu quietly releases the breath that he has been holding for a few seconds. "So...what happens now?"

Seungcheol gazes towards the north. "We fight."

Light gathers them all in a circle. "This is it. This is the moment we've all been preparing for. I've trained you since your first arrival, and we have come too far to turn back now."

Hansol looks around and the scene looks familiar to him. It looked like they were just preparing for the opening stage of their concert.

Light continues. "I know that the time we spent for training might not be enough, but during those moments, I'm glad to have met you all. But remember, this is war. Fight for your lives, fight to the death, and most importantly, leave no one behind. In the slight chance that someone enters his second form, do not engage! And for you all, when you enter your second forms, let everything go! Wreak havoc in the battlefield! Do you understand!?"

Light receives 12 shouts of approval. "Yes, sir!" 

"I repeat, do you understand!?"

"YES, SIR!"

Light nods and gives them all a sincere smile. Seungcheol gathers everyone's right hands and they form their group circle, holding each other's thumbs. He also makes Light join them, and he proceeds with their group speech.

"We are Seventeen! Even though we are thirteen, we are Seventeen! Even though Chan is not with us anymore, we are thirteen! With Light by our side, we will prevail! We do this for this world, for Cosmos, and never forget Chan's sacrifice!"

They break the circle with raucous cheer. Light approaches Hansol. "Do you remember the location of the gorge?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Visualize it and create a portal to lead us there. I don't want to exhaust Jihoon before the battle even begins. And among us, you currently have the largest container of power, second to Chan."

"Okay." Light taps his shoulders, and ushers the members to prepare. Hansol summons a blade from his right and throws it forward, tearing through time and space with a shade of amethyst. One by one, they dash towards it, landing near the edge of the cliff facing the southern, opposite of the cliff where the youngest wreaked havoc. From a distanve, they can see the literal disaster that Chan's quake has created to the northern lands, and they feel a strange swell of pride that their maknae did that scale of damage.

Light tells them to scatter and form one line. The sun peeks through the clouds and a blaze ignites in their bodies as the sun continues rising, signalling the start of the war.

Jihoon smiles at Seungcheol, and the older silently mouths "Don't die."

Seokmin and Soonyoung hold hands for a moment as they stare at the horizon. 

Jeonghan and Jisoo quickly share an embrace before they go back to their positions.

Minghao flicks a small current of air towards Junhui, the older scoffs but soon smiles when the younger whispers "I love you."

Hansol and Seungkwan did not bicker, but they lock their lips together in the heat of the moment.

Mingyu gives Wonwoo a hug, and the older pecks him on the cheek.

Light looks toward the other side. He finds it empty, but he senses 10 great auras, and Chaos'. The ground of the opposite cliff rumbles, and lava spews from the ground, melting the earth around it.

The ten warriors of Chaos make a grand entrance amidst the hellish fountain.

Light's expression shifts to pragmatic. "Seungkwan, give us some cover."

Seungkwan nods, and his eyes spark with energy as the clouds above them turn dark, completely bathing them in the shadows. Lightning crackles, and thunder rumbles around the terrain as Seungkwan summons fogs to completely conceal them to their enemies.

Sephiroth smirks. "They're camouflaging themselves."

Kefka giggles. "Then we just have to relentlessly attack until one of them gets hit!"

Garland shakes his head and jumps forward, leading the other warriors to follow and lunge to attack, running at intense speeds towards Cosmos' legion on the other side.

Seungcheol feels panic slithering inside him. "Light, what now?"

Light summons his sword and shield. "Get armed."

Seungcheol nods and he relays the message to the others. His arms burn with dark energy as he summons an obsidian scythe. Jihoon transforms to his wolf form, fully armored and teeth leaking with venom. Jeonghan forms a protective sphere around him, levitating in the process. Jisoo floats as his seven powerful spheres encircle around him. Junhui disappears as he transforms to a huge sphere of water. Soonyoung displays his fully healed wings, body blazing with orange fire.

On the left, Wonwoo crouches down the ground, his fully reconfigured powers yet to be released, but he magnitizes the metal in the earth, fully preparing himself from an attack. Minghao calls to the winds, and they latch over his body, aiming to protect and kill. Mingyu summons a huge bow and nothing else. He's planning something grand, one attack that he's particularly saving for Sephiroth. Seokmin rests easy as his magic pools over his palms, the coldness around him already serves as warning. Seungkwan levitates, his body bathed in electric currents as he keeps camouflaging them in fog and darkness. Hansol summons a small dagger for convenience, and he prepares himself for dimension hopping.

Light waits and he watches as their enemies advance. When they enter the fog, he switches into a murderous persona and screams.

"SCATTER!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE WAR IS COMING IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER AND I'VE SPLITTED IT INTO THREE PARTS! I'm kinda excited for it so I hope you guys are too! Thanks for staying with me in this journey!


	17. Battle of the Bleeding Gorge: The First Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten beacons of darkness  
Fourteen beacons of light  
One life sacrificed  
For a battle to the death

* * *

**_Overture: _ ** _ Clash of Two Legions_

* * *

Garland slams his claymore on the ground as it shifted into hammer form in midair. The hit delivers a short quake, but it creates an impact that generates a gust of wind strong enough to make most of the haze disappear.

Seungcheol throws his weapon, flanked by Soonyoung and Jihoon who are both speeding through the lightning-infested terrain.

Garland spots Jihoon first, due to his humongous wolf form, then he shifts his gaze to Soonyoung, who's glowing with fire. Seungcheol's scythe is camouflaged in the dark, and it spills the first blood as it tears a straight gash on Garland's arm. It lands on the ground near the enemy, while Garland examines his acquired wound. He smirks, thinking that he doesn't have to hold back.

Jihoon skids to a halt and uses his tail to whip Garland, but the enemy is alert now and he raises his sword to block the attack. He staggers for a bit, and regains his footing to shift his sword to a drill. Soonyoung darts through him and spreads his wings, delivering a stream of fire. Garland's armor is sturdy so the attack does nothing to him, but he's pushed back and he doesn't notice the obsidian scythe behind him.

Seungcheol disappears in the darkness and replaces the scythe's position. Soonyoung and Jihoon leap away before Seungcheol gathers his powers to his fists and punches Garland on his back. The latter is blasted away, and he tumbles on the ground for a dozen times before he fully stops. His body hurts, but it does not contain him from screaming and leaping towards the boy.

Seungcheol smirks, and he disappears again. Light comes down and replaces him, their swords make a loud clang as they clash with immense speeds.

* * *

Seungcheol teleports back on the southern side of the cliff, watching the events as it unfolds. Garland removed most of the fog so Seungcheol can make out most of the events happening in the battlefield quite clearly. Light had briefed them a long time ago about Chaos' warriors and the threats they pose. Based from his descriptions, Seungkwan is currently fighting Kefka in the skies, the jester with the explosive and unpredictable attacks. Joshua is currently evading a holy and flare combo, which is Kuja's specialty. He can see in Kuja's eyes that he was under the influence of a brainwash, because the last time they met, Kuja was one of the better guys. Jihoon has shifted back in his human form although he currently has his arms in it's beast form (bear) and his wolf tail is in display. He is locked in a tight duel with Jecht, who's also currently brainwashed.

Golbez is currently in the middle of casting a magnetic field, the ground around him floats and twists due to the fluctuations he casts. Seungcheol figures that Golbez might be under a spell too since he was giving his might into attacking Hansol, who is swiftly opening portals here and there to evade his attacks, and Mingyu, who's busy alternating between different weapons as he slices the boulders that Golbez was using to attack them.

Wonwoo is facing Exdeath, the entropic adversary. If what Light said is true, then Wonwoo is best suited for enemies like him who thrive in counterattacks. Wonwoo hits most times, but he feints and strikes as Exdeath gets lured in blocking a fake attack and letting down his guard. A master of blocks versus a master of feints.

He sees Seokmin with Ultimecia, which Light described as a sorcerous fusileer. Seokmin is an elementalist who's also a proficient marksman, so he smiles with pride when Ultimecia can't get a hit on Seokmin because he deflects every single one of her blades.

Jeonghan is holding himself well with the cloud of darkness, an entity who's almost ridiculously naked. Jeonghan wins everytime the woman delivers an attack because he reflects the same threshold of power when he mimics it.

However, the emperor, is dealing with Minghao and Soonyoung, who were hardly keeping up with Mateus' traps on the ground and in midair. Soonyoung only returned a hit when Mateus activated multiple mine bombs around him, forgetting that the winged boy controlled fire. Minghao swiftly evades and dodges, but he couldn't use his winds to slice through the emperor because he did try, but his attack activated multiple honing crest traps.

Light continues dealing with Garland, and they are evenly matched. He also remembers landing two fatal hits on the enemy, first with the scythe and second with the punch. However, his eyes widen as he realizes one thing.

He only counted 9 Chaos warriors.

"Looking for someone?" He conjures a dark protective shell around his body as he stumbles backwards. Even though he had defended himself from the attack, he's not numb to feel the pain of it. If he reacted too poorly, he could've died.

He looks at his attacker, and he finds an all too-familiar menacing smile looking back at him.

"Sephiroth."

The man hits him without warning, and Seungcheol retaliates back. They start a dangerous dance near the edge of the cliff as they charge each other in split seconds.

"I told you I'd return." Sephiroth returns to his stance after Seungcheol fires darkness towards him. "And now, I know better than to underestimate you."

"You'll know better after learning to shut up." Seungcheol lunges, an obsidian glaive dangling in his hands.

* * *

"You've trained your warriors well!" Garland's sword transform into two thin blades and he dual wields it, but Light utilizes his sword and shield well, using both weapons for offense and defense. He hits his shield with the hilt of his blade and it creates a deafening ring of sound accompanied by a bright flash of light. Garland is distraught, his ears ringing as his vision turn dark due to the flashbang. Light summons an exploding pillar of bright energy and Garland is thrown back once more.

"And I've seen you've underestimated us once more." Light stands tall, waiting for his nemesis' next move.

Garland snickers, "Yeah, and now I know that we shouldn't hold back." His body explodes with dark red aura as he swiftly transforms into his second form.

Light remains pragmatic. "You shouldn't use your second form so recklessly. The war's only beginning."

"Having a part of Chaos inside my body is really _ really _ useful, don't you think?" He lunges, his speed greatly increasing and he locks swords with Light once more. "I feel pitiful for you and your younglings. They don't know what kind of death waits for them!" 

Light doesn't faze and he flips his body, covering it with the shield in the process as Garland tries hitting him with his overly huge weapon. "But they know all of your weaknesses, and underestimating us will surely bring your downfall."

"Enough!" Their swords make a cacophony of sounds as they teeter around each other for the 14th time.

* * *

**_Allegro:_ ** _ Discord's Might_

* * *

Seungcheol goes out of balance when Sephiroth summons a blade beam. It doesn't damage him but the continuous hits he sustains are leaving small dents on his armor.

Sephiroth just hums in satisfaction when Seungcheol shows signs of agitation. He teleports just above the enemy and summons his sword to slash downwards, but Sephiroth easily blocks it, not even sparing a look at Seungcheol.

"Is this what you've been preparing after all this time?" Sephiroth moves swiftly and stabs the ground harshly, raising multiple debris and chunks of earth. The attack throws Seungcheol backwards, but he regains his footing quickly and retaliates with a short explosion of his magic that evaporates the rocks which Sephiroth was using to attack him. Their weapons collide, and Seungcheol overpowers him in a short moment as he pushes Sephiroth near the edge of the cliff. However, Sephiroth swiftly changes their position. He uses his foot to trip Seungcheol, and the younger male plummets down.

Seungcheol panics for a moment before throwing his sword up. Once he's sure it lands on the cliff, he switches with it, and he's back up again. His eyes blow open when a sharp punch on his gut blasts him backwards. He tumbles for a few times, and by the time he stops, he spits blood. The punch may have damaged some organs, but he's not going to back down so easily.

Sephiroth approaches him slowly, his blade screeching as he purposely lets it dangling on the ground. He looks at the crouching warrior, and his face fall flats. "Pity. After all that happened, you're not even motivated."

Seungcheol furiously wipes the blood pooling from his mouth, and stands up. He lunges towards the enemy, but his moves have already become sloppy and uncalculated. It's one thing to fight in trainings, because they know that no matter how hard Light fights them, he wouldn't kill them. It's an entirely different thing to fight one enemy with your teammates.

Fighting the same enemy one on one, now that's something unexplainable.

Seungcheol thinks all of this as he lands on his knees again with Sephiroth smirking in front of him. His knees wobble as he tries standing up. He's sure some of his bones are also broken now, and most of his organs are probably bleeding internally.

Sephiroth smiles. "Did you really think that I'd be beaten with measly attacks?"

Seungcheol stays silent, panting hard while trying to get back to his fighting stance. He yelps when Sephiroth grabs a fistful of his hair and presses his blade onto the skin of his throat. 

"Are you afraid?" 

Seungcheol tries breaking free, but he knows it's futile. He just doesn't want to seem weak in front of an enemy he killed before. However, he knows that the Sephiroth back then is massively different from now.

He's not holding back.

Seungcheol closes his eyes, and accepts his death while silently muttering an apology. He doesn't know why he's sorry, he just wants an excuse for giving up so easily.

He feels coldness encase his body gently as he is swayed to the side. When he opens his eyes, he sees violent waves of water thrashing towards the enemy. It encases Sephiroth inside a sphere of dangerous currents and Seungcheol spins his head to the right, smiling at the sight of Junhui's face.

"You alright, hyung!?" Jun asked as he pushes Sephiroth off the cliff.

"I can't believe I forgot you!" He went to the younger and offered him a one-armed hug.

"Shut up and prepare, hyung. I actually saw bits of your fight with him and you were incredibly messy."

Seungcheol found it in him to laugh, both at Junhui, because the younger is too serious, and at himself, because he literally forgot Junhui while he was examining the warzone.

An explosion can be heard below them and a wild gust of wind comes towards them as Sephiroth breaks free from Junhui's water sphere. He soars up and summons a meteor towards Junhui and Seungcheol.

The older male was about to attack, but Junhui stopped him. "Hyung, don't be stupid!"

"No, Jun, get away from here! Just trust me on this!" Seungcheol jumps, and Jun just grumbles in frustration as he surfs his way out of the area.

Seungcheol forms two spears, one on each of his hands. He throws the one on his left towards the flaming rock. He waits until the spear latches itself on the meteor.

When it does, Seungcheol throws the remaining spear towards Sephiroth, who's watching the scene unfold a few meters away. Sephiroth doesn't deflect the weapon and catches it instead, grinning towards Seungcheol.

Seungcheol returns the grin because Sephiroth has taken his bait.

He grunts and smashes both of his hands together. The meteorite above him disappears completely and reappears on Sephiroth's hands, replacing the spear. It grows back exponentially to its original form, crushing the enemy in a huge impact as the meteor collides with the cliff.

Seungcheol jumps away, and teleports safely to the gorge below. He looks up as he sees the cliff slowly crumble with the attack it sustained from the summoned meteor. It's a surprisingly huge attack, but the others aren't fazed because they are currently in their own battles.

Jun appears beside him. "Hyung, that was nicely handled!"

Seungcheol nods. "Thanks for the save, Jun. Now go help the others. As long as nobody is attacking you, you assist."

Jun nods in agreement and uses his waves to traverse the battlefield, searching for others that he can help. 

Seungcheol watches as a figure rises from the debris, soaring up to the sky with his body glowing. He senses the spiked aura coming from it and he already knows that this battle is far from over.

"Very well. You leave me no choice." Sephiroth gently lowers himself in front of Seungcheol, a single, jet black wing stretching from his back.

The one-winged angel has appeared.

* * *

Jun darts through the gorge using his waves, looking everywhere for his companions who might need his help. Someone hits him on his side as he tumbles backwards. Before he lands harshly, he controls the waters to cushion his fall. When he regains his footing, he notices that he wasn't attacked. Seokmin was lying beside him, lower lip busted and the side of his face had cuts on it. His armor is relatively fine, but most of the fabric are already damaged.

Seokmin looks at him, "Sorry, we collided badly there."

"It's fine. Do you need help?"

Soft laughter can be heard as Ultimecia glides towards them. The witch's appearance has already changed, and based from the aura that they are both sensing, what they're seeing as a second form.

Seokmin sighs. "Think we can handle her on 2 vs 1?"

Jun smirks, waves of water materializing on his side. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

Seungkwan screams, his voice amplified by sonar manipulation. It hits Kefka's eardrums and he shrieks in annoyance.

"Ow! You're making my ears burn!" Seungkwan could see that the jester was already disoriented so he quickly works on his magic and his hair raises as he releases a sharp bolt of lightning that hits Kefka's body.

The enemy plummets down, and Seungkwan follows to catch him before he turns to a mixture of bone and flesh on the ground. He maintains a safe distance to examine whether the clown was awake, but when he sees that the enemy was really unconscious, he scoops the body on his arms.

"PEEK-A-BOO!" Kefka wakes up, and snaps his fingers. Seungkwan narrowly escapes death as he swiftly flies away from him. Kefka's body generates an explosion so massive that it breaches up towards the clouds, tearing a hole through it. Seungkwan watches with bated breath as the explosion slowly dies down, leaving a huge noticeable crater on the gorge.

However, the clown wasn't where he should be, because light shines from the gaping hole in the clouds as Kefka comes down from it, appearance completely changed.

Seungkwan gulps as Kefka's pointy teeth snarl at him menacingly. "Our pretty little game ends now!"

* * *

Jisoo has tried to reason with the man who's currently eager on setting his body on fire. However, he learned the hard way that brainwashed warriors will only fight senselessly until they die. He redirects some of his powers on his left hand, blasting Kuja with his orange, explosive beams, while simultaneously using a green healing beam on his right hand, pressing it on his right thigh. Jisoo is multitasking because he's in the middle of a midair chase as he switches his flight from high and low with immense speeds.

He cautiously takes a look at Kuja, who's seething with anger as his eyes burn white due to the spell that's telling him to kill. Jisoo dodges deftly as the capricious enemy blasts holy and flare magic simultaneously. He uses most of his spheres tohether, generating an even larger attack that could probably evaporate him completely if it hits him. Jisoo flips and dives down towards the ground, making a curve so he lands on both of his feet.

Kuja follows him, slowly gliding down as a trance envelops his body slowly. His smooth skin grows some fur, replacing the fabric of his clothes, and he laughs sinisterly.

Jisoo senses animalistic rage from him, and he releases multi colored balls of light to protect him from the human that could have been on their side.

At this point, he surmises that Kuja can't see reason anymore.

* * *

Jihoon's body could be described as a mutated mess. His left wing is a dragon's, his right is an eagle's. His arms are a bear's, but his legs and tail are a wolf's. He doesn't want to fully transform to one of his beasts because his stamina depletes at a constant rate. Using parts of his body is the better choice in this scenario, especially when his enemy is someone like Jecht, who's basically a huge tank of nuclear energy.

Jecht charges, his bare foot thundering as he throws chunks of rocks towards Jihoon. The smaller man mostly ducks, dodging instead of attacking, but he destroys those that he can't using his beast arms. Jecht swings his sword, the edges of it oozing with brimstone and lava. Every swing delivers scorching heat to Jihoon's skin. His beast parts are not taking damage but his torso and head are still in human form, and they take the brunt of it. He sweats profusely, skin tinging a shade of pink and red when Jecht almost slices his head. He flips, whipping his tail towards Jecht and claws at his side.

Jecht's body sports five long wounds, credits to Jihoon. His eyes are white, evidence of the brainwash, and he snarls towards the smaller male. He attacks, but Jihoon moves to the side and scoops up his enemy, taking him to the skies. He knew that Jecht can't fly, so he brings him where he can't utilize his surroundings. Jecht shows signs of frustration, his body desperately trying to wriggle away from Jihoon's bear arms.

Jihoon screams as he feels Jecht's sword scraping his chest. He lets go of the man, and stumbles in midair as he examines his wounded body. He hisses when the long line of wound sting a bit, and he looks at his enemy, eyes widened in shock and fear when he sees Jecht floating.

The enemy throws his sword upwards, and it expands, transforming to a huge chunk of rock. It's so big it almost looks like a miniature planet. He punches it, and it explodes into tinier fragments. Then, he brings his hands downwards, and the tiny fragments of rock transform into exploding stars as they fall down, showering the gorge with scorching explosions.

Jihoon looks in horror at the scene below them, then he fears for his life when he sees Jecht transform into something hideous.

Now, Jihoon thinks that his beast forms might not be enough to battle the one in front of him.

* * *

Jeonghan chases the cloaked woman, or entity, or maybe ghost since she's currently disappeared again. He's been on a roll lately, and he feels pretty strong because he doesn't have any bruises or wounds up til now.

He feels a dark aura rise behind him and he raises his arm. He has absorbed most of the attacks that the wraith have delivered, and he still has most of the power reserved inside him. A barrier covers his back as the wraith blasts him. Seeing that the attack was futile, the entity hisses. 

Jeonghan smirks and reflects the same attack towards the ghastly creature, and it stumbles backwards, screaming in pain. It's tentacles snarl at the male and it flies away.

Jeonghan follows it, and they engage in a wild goose chase around the scorched terrain, thanks to Jecht's massive attack.

"Jeonghan, look out!" Chunks of metal halt Jeonghan from his chase, and he looks around to see that he is caged in a shield of metal.

"Wonwoo!"

"Are you alright, hyung!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! You look well, too!" Jeonghan smiles when he sees Wonwoo's skin completely untouched. "Why did you protect me? I could've handled that!"

"No, hyung! You couldn't survive that!" 

"What–" Jeonghan and Wonwoo are blasted backwards by an explosion of energies. Darkness covers their surroundings as two large spheres of darkness land in front of them.

The spheres explode, revealing the cloud of darkness and Exdeath in their second forms.

"He is the mime that we've been speaking of." The wraith looks at him like he's a joke, lips curling into a sneer.

"Well then. I hope he's not some weakling." Exdeath smiles, and Wonwoo has never been more terrified of him.

Jeonghan's cockiness gets the best of him when he releases all of his amassed energies towards both enemies. The wraith is blown back for a bit, and it smirks.

" Hyung, no!"

"Now, that's a mistake." The cloud of darkness dives towards Wonwoo, dragging him away from Jeonghan. 

"Wonwoo!" Jeonghan was about to follow them, but he is slammed to the ground. His ribs crack at the impact, and his vision turns to white as he suffers a mild concussion. He shakes his head, slowly regaining his vision, and he sees Exdeath looking down on him. The enemy lifts him, his hands clutching at the collar of Jeonghan's garb.

"You should've listened to your friend, but you fed your arrogance instead." Exdeath throws him backwards, and Jeonghan busts his lip as he accidentally bites it when he fell. He wipes the blood and stands up, his aura showering him in protective force fields.

Exdeath laughs as he floats, magical circles with intricate patterns forming around him. And it clicks. 

He is a master of mimicry, and his enemy is a master of counters. One attack, and it's game over for Jeonghan. As he examines the enemy, one question lingers inside his head.

How the fuck is he going to defeat him!?

* * *

Hansol roars as he switches from one portal to another, evading the onslaught of attacks that Golbez is currently unleashing. Cosmic lightning rays hit the metal of Mingyu's blades as he maneuvers through the floating chunks of boulders inside the magnetic field. Their enemy is a warlock, and it shows just how forged his fighting skills are because both of them can't insert a single attack since the enemy changed to his second form.

Hansol comes out from a portal that appears beside Mingyu. The older has summoned some bladed whips and he uses the chains to gather some huge rocks so they can hide from their enemy.

"Hyung, I have a plan."

"How effective?" 

"What?" 

"I'm asking if it'll work?" 

Hansol laughs, which is kind of weird if you take their current situation into account. "Hyung, it will work if you cooperate well. Wait for my signal, I'll distract Golbez!" Amethyst smoke comes out of his hands as a dagger materializes from it. "When I scream, summon all your weapons in a circle, okay?" 

Hansol doesn't give Mingyu the time to answer as the younger throws the dagger on the ground, forming a portal where he falls and disappears.

Mingyu sighs. "This kid, seriously, I'm dying here!"

Hansol summons amethyst spears, pinning one on every floating slab of earth, even the smallest ones. Once he's sure that he's covered the whole terrain with his spears, he takes a cautious look towards Golbez.

The enemy doesn't see him, but the black dragon circling his body does and roars, black ray of lightning seeking to explode Hansol's body. He narrowly misses, and gets thrown to the side as the lightning hits the rock where he stands.

"Shit! HYUNG, DO IT NOW!"

Mingyu jumps from his hiding stomp, and summons all of his 20 weapons in a circle around them. Hansol snaps with both hands and the spears explode into huge portals that all lead towards one exit: Golbez' body.

Mingyu hurls all of his weapons towards the portals and watches each of his blade pile through Golbez' body. When he finishes attacking, he kneels and pants harshly. This was the first time he released all 20 of the weapons he possesses, and he looks at the huge pile of blades where Golbez and his dragon used to stand. Hansol lands beside him, plopping to sit down as he catches his breath.

Their respite was short-lived as Mingyu's weapons are thrown harshly by a cosmic explosion. Golbez stands before them with his black dragon, completely unscathed from the attack.

Mingyu sighs again and rolls his eyes. He doesn't have enough will in him to be serious about this whole war anymore. Hansol groans in pain and frustration as he pulls at his hair, "Are you shitting me!? Ugh, I hate this place."

* * *

"MINGHAO, GO UP!" Soonyoung screams as explosions follow him like crazed fans. The emperor has learned not to use mines on him since he can absorb flames, so he uses lightning and arcane-based bombs and traps.

Minghao tries, but he lands harshly on the ground aftee multiple balls of flare appeared. Soonyoung makes a sharp turn with his wings and dives for the younger. He scoops him up with his arms. 

"Hao, you hurt?"

Minghao just gulps and nods. "Every inch of me fucking hurts but I'm just aching to kill that motherfucker."

"Mind your tongue, young boy!" Soonyoung yelps as another lightning sigil activates below them, and Soonyoung goes backwards, not knowing which direction was safe.

"Really? We're dealing with forces that want our heads on a silver platter and you are concerned about _ language _?" 

Soonyoung laughs as he lets go of Minghao. They split up and take different ways as they weave seamlessly with the overlayed traps. Mateus yawns while sitting on an invisible throne. He's tired of the show because he doesn't even need to change to his second form to give his enemies a hard time.

Minghao gets caught in another trap, releasing mine bombs that explode with purple flames. Before he gets singed, Soonyoung holds his hands out, absorbing all the purple flame and shaping it into a lance.

Mateus sees this and his eyebrow raises. He waves one hand and white threads of burning fire rise out of nowhere, seeking to kill.

Minghao concentrates on Soonyoung's body, almost nearing their enemy. He covers the older's body with a wind sphere, and it deflects all incoming attacks. He luckily finds an empty spot and he takes advantage of it, twisting his body to create a massive gale that blasts the emperor away.

All of his traps disappear, deactivated since their caster is a snarling mess on the dirt.

"SOONYOUNG, KILL THE BASTARD!"

Soonyoung lets all of his anger and frustrations out as he throws the purple flame spear towards Mateus.

His attack results into a purple explosion that emits a mushroom cloud. But before Minghao and Soonyoung could escape, the smoke crumbles from the inside. The explosion diminishes in size as it appears to be absorbed from inside out.

Mateus appears, and he looks more heavenly than before. However, the aura and smirk that he sports is something from the depths of hell.

Soonyoung can say nothing but, "We're so fucked."

"Watch your mouth, hyung."

* * *

Light bites on his lip to prevent himself from screaming when Garland hits his shield harshly, snapping some bones on his arm in the process. He takes the pain and attacks, sword glowing hot with the energy of light as he pierces forward. Garland tumbles to the ground, but he recovers easily. He presses the long hilt of his sword on the warrior's neck and forces him to look at the scenes unfolding in front of them. He throws the sword and shield to the side, leaving Light defenseless.

Seungcheol screams from the ground as Sephiroth pierces his arms with his sword, his wings flapping as if he was enjoying the torture he's giving.

Jisoo's fighting Kuja with his might, even though his body is already suffering from multiple burns.

Seungkwan is subjected to a gauntlet of merciless attacks from the jester, and he laughs whenever Seungkwan breaks one bone in his body.

Ultimecia has Junhui freezed on a time spell, as Seokmin bleeds out on the ground, blades littered on his arms, shoulders, and legs.

Golbez holds both Hansol and Mingyu in paralysis, completely no chance left to win in the situation. But Golbez is not attacking them, which means that he's probably not brainwashed, but only following orders.

Wonwoo fights the cloud of darkness well, but his stamina is starting to fail him as he stumbles on his feet at times. One of the entity's tentacles wrap around his body and throws him repeatedly on the rough ground, his nose bleeding and eyes swollen.

Jeonghan is uselessly evading all attacks from Exdeath because Jeonghan doesn't have any offensive power to retaliate. He needs Exdeath to attack so he can absorb some power, but Exdeath, although focusing on his defenses, also has an array of deadly attacks to share to the younger male.

Soonyoung and Minghao fly all over, evading the emperor as they completely give up on attacking him. 

Jihoon is in his Lion form, giving Jecht a hard time. At least Jihoon is progressing. 

"Watch as your warriors go down, one by one!" Garland mocks him, the metal on his throat is pressed harder, and he starts to lose his air.

"You–you are severely mistaken if you think that."

"Oh, warrior, I am actually feeling pity for you. You'll have another loss for your side this time, just like the other times it happened."

Seungcheol screams in pain and throws his head to the side, where he connects eyes with Light.

"No. This time, we will prevail…" Light looks intently at Seungcheol, who's looking at him like he wants to be saved.

Like he wants to _ surrender _.

So Light allows him, and he mouths towards the leader. "_Surrender, Seungcheol." _

* * *

**_Crescendo: _ ** **Sonata of Harmony**

_ First Movement: The Obsidian Demon _

* * *

Darkness envelops Seungcheol's body and Sephiroth protects himself from the power that explodes beneath him. He jumps to a safer area and watches as Seungcheol's eyes turn ghoulish. His body is overtaken by an ancient force that wraps itself on Seungcheol's body. He's covered in obsidian armor with claws and talons appearing on his limbs. His teeth turn sharp, and the horns in his head sprout along with the black, horrid wings on the expanse of his back.

Sephiroth smiles. He's never seen a transformation more gruesome and unforgiving.

However, Seungcheol looks at him with empty eyes, and he returns the same smile. Sephiroth frowns as a cold feeling sank deep into him as he looked at the smile. It held no emotion, and his empty eyes unnerved him to his core. 

He's feeling fear.

Seungcheol's dark aura can be sensed throughout the whole gorge. Seungcheol's members and their enemies all look at the source of the immense power surge, and Jihoon can't help but beam in pride.

Garland's hold on Light loosens, and the warrior grabs his arm to slam him down. Light smirks, and he calls his shield and sword, who float back to his arms.

"It's not possible! They can't control second forms!"

"You're right. They can't." Light points his sword on Garland's chin. He crouches down on the enemy's eye level and whispers.

"That's why I told them to let go and surrender."

Seungcheol grins and he lazily moves his arms around, delivering strong bursts of pure darkness that eat away at Sephiroth's clothes. 

Seungcheol teleports behind him, grabbing Sephiroth's wings and tearing the whole bone from his back. Garland's jaw drops when he sees Seungcheol brutally rip Sephiroth's one wing, and the enemy falls backwards with his back spurting blood.

Seungcheol laughs, and even Light is scared at what kind of devil his warrior has become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/3
> 
> Please wait patiently for the following parts! I might upload slower because I really want this part of the story to be good...
> 
> OMG 100 KUDOS!? WTF THANK YOU EVERYONE OH MY GOD! I LOVE YOU ALL!


	18. Battle of the Bleeding Gorge: The Second Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War ensues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the tags, I updated them. Basically, some relationships will evolve from here to the future chapters.

Seungcheol floats around what could be described as emptiness. It's pitch black, with faint auroras of light occasionally bursting around him. He watches as the lights slowly transform into a familiar scene of his mom and dad playing with him on a winter afternoon in the year 1999. He looked so little, and his mom and dad were so youthful too. He looks around, and he sees more of his memories taking form, showing them in front of Seungcheol like a looped scene from a drama.

There was the time where he first went to school, memories of him in the open field with his high school soccer team.

There's also the time where he was running late for his audition at Pledis Entertainment, little did he know that he'd be accepted.

He looked at his right and saw his memory of the first time meeting the NU'EST members, but during that moment, he was a 6th member, and their group was supposed to be called  _ Tempest _ . However, fate had much larger things for him because when he was dropped from the project, he was put in another one. The  _ 17 boys _ plan.

He darted through the empty space and watched as his younger self met the first generation members of Seventeen. Time went by, more and more boys were added into the mix. He was met with endless days where he struggled whether to treat these boys as a competition or as his friends. Eventually all of those dissipated and they became happy.

Junhui, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Mingming, Seokmin, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Hansol, Chan, and Samuel. They were in the plan before Doyoon and him were added. They were actually supposed to be 17 members, and they were short of 4. They were already pitted against each other in multiple merciless evaluation trainings, but instead of increased competitiveness, the bond only got stronger.

Jisoo came, and they remained happy.

Dongjin was added, they were still happy.

Jeonghan was inserted in the group, and Seungcheol can finally imagine it. They are only short of one member, and it had already been years since he was promised with the dream of debuting. It was the only thing that kept him moving forward: debuting with the boys by his side. He was happy. They were happy. All they needed was just one more member.

Then, Samuel was pulled out from the project. His parents wanted him to study and not waste his childhood locked in an entertainment dungeon.

Samuel had no last words. He was taken behind their backs. They didn't see him leave.

Samuel broke all of their hearts. But they can wait. They will wait for someone to come, but Samuel will always be irreplaceable.

They stayed in touch until Samuel debuted earlier than them. Their hearts were broken again. But this time, sadness wasn't the cause. That moment caused a chain reaction of misfortune as their debut got farther and farther from Seungcheol's eyes.

Doyoon left. He wanted to be an actor.  _ "I won't regret it. I never will. I'm sorry, Cheol." _ They saw him in a movie, he was finally out of the dungeon.

Mingming left.  _ "I'm sorry, hyung. I'm tired."  _ They saw him in another boy group. He finally debuted.

Dongjin left.  _ "Believe me, hyung, we're left with a rotting promise of debuting." _ Unlike the others, they never saw Dongjin again. They were told that he was pursuing his academics again, aiming for a college degree. Seungcheol didn't mind. He was happy that their former members have found their calling, although they were a bit envious.

But those are all in the past, and Seungcheol smiles because after the hardships they received, what followed were only memories of happiness.

The ring ceremony.

The success of Seventeen Project. 

Shooting for Adore U music video.

First music show stage in front of the public.

First fanmeeting as Seventeen.

Rookie of the Year award.

First major music show win.

More awards.

Increased recognition. 

Vacation with the members.

Vacation with his family.

Paying back his parents' hardships.

Sold-out concerts.

More followed, and even though there were rough patches, Seungcheol noticed that most of the memories he had as an idol were happy and bright memories. He moved forward through the neverending space of memories and he saw their summoning to the other world. They were idols, and now they are warriors trained to fight to the death for the sake of the planet.

He remembers everything, every pain in his body and mind are manifesting as the memories slowly recede inside him.

This time, Chan has left too. But he won't be coming back.

Seungcheol watches in horror as Chan's death was projected by his memories. Chan never struggled, he died smiling. They killed him, so that Chan can have a peaceful death after everything they put him through.

_ “I…I love you, everyone. Tell the Carats that I’m sorry I couldn’t come home.” _

_ “Don’t be sad. Don’t cry now, because you’re all doing a good job. You all did a good job.” _

_ “I’ll always be with you.” _

Seungcheol is still alive, in love with Jihoon and Chan, and this is their curse for letting Chan go.

The memories all disintegrate, and he was left in the darkness once more. A small ray of light remains, and he looks at it as he takes small steps towards it. When he gets closer, he realizes that it's an exit, but everytime he tries to quicken his pace, the exit goes further and further into the abyss.

He runs. Nothing's gonna stop him because he needs to come back to the battlefield, wherever the hell he is right now.

* * *

Sephiroth coughs blood as Seungcheol goes rampaging. The huge tear in his back is still spurting blood, and he cannot regenerate properly because Seungcheol, the demon, claws at whatever he can touch. His side, his face, his arms, legs, torso, they were all bleeding with claw marks. He tries blocking, using his blade to deflect Seungcheol's arms, but the latter bashes hard and the sword breaks. Sephiroth grins and looks at Seungcheol's empty eyes.

"You...are a monster. Come on now, kill me, and prove them just how demonic you can be."

Seungcheol doesn't hear anything and jumps, using his wings to reach a higher height, before stomping hard on Sephiroth's chest. He screams as his bones break, some of it breaching through his skin, while some press hard onto his lungs. Either is painful.

He stomps, and he repeats it again and again and again, until Sephiroth dies with his chest bursting, his heart and lungs a mushy mess on the rocks. His eyes are open, and his body is also widely open, and Seungcheol picks it up. He dashes towards Garland and uses Sephiroth as a weapon. He slams the mutilated body on Garland's back, making the enemy fall harshly onto the ground.

Seungcheol's lips curl into a sneer, murderous rage seeping in his aura as his hits turn heavier, using Sephiroth as a hammer to nail Garland's body in the earth. Sephiroth's body snaps in half, bones breaking and blood spraying everywhere as his organs tumble outside his open chest. Garland screams in pain when Seungcheol summons a huge obsidian blade and slams it repeatedly on his body. Garland has a tough exterior, but Seungcheol has truly become a demon as he laughs. Demonic voices come out of him and his wings flap giddily as he enjoys the first blood that spurts from Garland's body. Some of it lands on his nose and lips, but he just licks it, reveling in the taste of victory and bloodlust.

Light's eyes widen in horror at what he had done. What he's seeing, is someone who killed two Chaos warriors, both in their second forms, in a few moments. His power might be the key to winning this war but he fears that if he stays in that state uncontrolled for too long, Seungcheol might never revert back to his human state.

* * *

_ A few moments before the war started _

Light is sucked into a vision, his surroundings reveal the sanctuary in a blurred state. Everything was hazed, but Cosmos stands in front of him in her original form.

Light gasps and kneels. "My lady! I thought you were resting?" 

Cosmos looks down at him, her humongous form towering over the area and the warrior.

"What do you need of me, goddess of harmony?" 

Cosmos doesn't speak, 13 keys materialize in front of him. Standing in front of Cosmos' true form is always intimidating yet breathtaking. He was just a tiny speck as Cosmos moves in the massive terrain. The 12 keys of light gather around the warrior's hands before disappearing in a spark.

Cosmos talks, but her mouth doesn't open. Her voice is a mixture of nature and humanity's sounds, speaking to him in volumes that only holy beings are capable of. "Everything will make sense soon."

"Cosmos, I…what are these?"

The goddess just nods, and the surroundings begin to fade. Light panics, "Wait, Cosmos! Cosmos, no, help us!"

Light shuts his eyes as the world around him fade into brightness. When he opens them, he's back in the edge of the cliff leading to the bleeding gorge, his 12 remaining warriors standing beside him as they prepare for the looming bloodbath.

* * *

Light looks down at both of his hands, and Cosmos' words ring in his ears.

_ Everything will make sense soon _ .

For the first time in his life, Light is confused. He is completely dumbfounded as he stays rooted in his position, watching the demon continuously stab Garland with his titanic blade.

Light calls on to the 12 swirling orbs of Cosmos' energy inside him, and they reveal themselves in front of him. He only holds one, the remaining 11 flowing back in his body. He holds to it tightly, eyeing Seungcheol who was currently caught up in bludgeoning Garland's dead body.

He moves stealthily, slowly inching towards the demon. Seungcheol's back is facing him, and he dashes forward.

A black hand grows on Seungcheol's back, and it lunges for Light's throat. The warrior chokes and tries to inhale air, but the hand is digging harshly on his skin and it burns. Seungcheol stops and he turns, looking at Light with a menacing smile.

"S...eungcheol...soldier! Snap out–" He feels his breath slowly running out of him, and he chokes harder when Seungcheol lifts his body. The demon snarls and lifts its blade to pierce Light's chest. 

Light surges with adrenaline in that short second. He sees the shape of a keyhole appear on Seungcheol's chest and he plunges the key in it. The tip of his blade has already pierced Light's armor but it hasn't reached the chest yet so he wasn't injured. Seungcheol's demon form wails, he screams as the key dissolves and goes inside him, expelling all of the energies that the pure darkness has amassed from his soul. His wings retreat back inside his body as his talons and claws regress to their human parts. Seungcheol goes back to his original form without hitch but he falls unconscious, seemingly wasted from overexertion of powers just like how he fainted when he first activated his second form.

Light catches Seungcheol's body before he collides with the ground, and he lays him gently before casting a protective barrier around the boy. His mind is taken back to the keys that Cosmos gave him, and if he witnessed correctly, it made Seungcheol go back to his original form.

A key can open and close doors. 

A key can lock and unlock. 

If it can close the second forms, then can it unlock second forms also? Light looks at his hands, where the first key appeared. And he looks towards the battlefield where he sees Jeonghan struggling to defend against Exdeath's magical guards and flying sword.

He calls to a second key, and it manifests in his hands. He grips it tight as he starts running towards Exdeath and his soldier.

* * *

Jeonghan screams in pain when the blade sweeps down, tearing the skin of his thighs. He absorbs the blows dealt by the floating sword, and he tries his hardest to counter offensively. His attacks explode on Exdeath's wards and they return to him twice as fast. He dodges most of the magic being thrown towards him, but he still staggers because most of the blows are too fast, and when they hit his shields, his knees always wobble.

Exdeath waves his right hand, controlling the blade as it slashes harder and harder, cracking Jeonghan's shields bit by bit.

He calls the sword toward him and pulls it backwards, like he's using a bow as he aims for Jeonghan. He lets go, and the sword comes at full speed, shattering Jeonghan's magic and smashing through the boy's knee. Jeonghan wails and cries as his left leg is pinned on the ground by the gigantic sword.

Light releases a surprise burst of magic, blasting Exdeath away with bright explosions. He kneels towards Jeonghan's slumped figure, blood continuously seeping through his armor and trickling down to the ground. He doesn't say anything and hands Jeonghan the key before standing up. 

"Plunge it in your body. You'll need it, soldier."

Light runs far from him, not even bothering to help him remove the fucking sword that broke through his kneecaps like it was glass. But Jeonghan just sighs and face Exdeath, who was quickly coming towards him.

He doesn't think twice, and he plunges the key in his chest. A rose-colored power explodes from his body and surges throughout the gorge and the lands above.

* * *

_ Second Movement: Seraph of the Roses _

* * *

Jeonghan looks as the power wraps itself on his body. His eyes widen in wonder as he examines his body. Adrenaline and power are hotly mixing on every nerve of his body, and everything is just so overwhelming. Jeonghan, unlike Seungcheol, is conscious during his transformation. He knows that what's happening now is an effect of his transition to second form.

"I tire of these machinations." Exdeath stands up, gathers a vacuum of void energy on his right hand and blasts it towards Jeonghan.

He raises his hands to block the sizzling energy, but his magic is not raising any barrier to protect him. The vacuum hits his body, but he feels no pain as the attack transforms into petals of roses that swirl around him.

Exdeath grunts in pain as his armor cracks. Jeonghan frowns at what had just happened, and even his enemy is seemingly confused. His eyes turn into slits as he screams with rage, the massive aura exploding and rivaling Jeonghan's.

Exdeath creates a huge sphere of dark matter, and he raises his hands as the sphere increases in size. He attacks Jeonghan with it, and it hits the boy's body successfully. Jeonghan uses his arms to block it, but same as earlier, no barrier forms. The sphere explodes and more petals are formed. Exdeath wails as an invisible force invades his body. His figure trembles in the air as his armor continuously crumbles, leaving his skin unprotected to the burns that the invisible force is inflicting. He falls into the ground on his knees, and he gasps for air as he takes control of his floating sword. He attacks Jeonghan with it, slashing at his arms.

No barrier comes up in front of Jeonghan, and the sword passes through his left arm. Exdeath screams, again, in pain and Jeonghan looks at him to find Exdeath's left arm cleanly severed with black blood spraying down the ground. He staggers in the immense pain as he applies pressure to the wound. His arm falls limp to the ground from his shoulders. Jeonghan looks at his own body, and he sees no wounds. Then he looks at Exdeath and it all makes sense.

He's like a human voodoo doll. Whenever Exdeath attacked him, Jeonghan remains unscathed and the damage is dealt on Exdeath's body.

"What…what is…who are you?" Exdeath trembles, his aura getting smaller and smaller.

"I-I don't know…" Jeonghan's morales get the better of him as he takes pity at Exdeath's retreating form. He goes towards his enemy, and the latter crawls backwards, seemingly afraid of the power that Jeonghan holds.

He reaches his hand out to Exdeath. "Join us. Please. I don't want to kill, and you don't have to fight for the wrong side anymore."

Exdeath stares at him, and he laughs. He laughs so hard that he runs out of air and chokes on it. He heaves for air, but his smiles are still not erased from his pale face.

"I've never fought for Chaos. I simply fought to satiate man's primal instincts. The lot of you speak of harmony, and how do you achieve it? By participating in wars! I simply fight as a proof that power will never be innocent. Power is always corrupted, and look at what that power did to your deceased companion. Now he's a rotten piece of filth!"

Jeonghan's eyes brim with tears as he raises his fist, the petals transforming into orbs of hot, blazing, pink energy seeking to destroy. He trembles for a moment, but he sobs and lets his fist drop on his side. Exdeath's smile turns into a frown as the energies revert back into petals that swirl around Jeonghan's body.

"Whatever you say, Chan's not coming back. Killing you will never make him return, so I see no point in it—"

Jeonghan stops speaking when he finds a sword stabbed through him. He looks at Exdeath and he sees a gaping hole forming at the center of the enemy's exposed chest. The sword falls from Jeonghan's body, making a heavy noise when it collides with the ground, and Exdeath bleeds as he rests his body on the ground.

"Why...why are you so eager to kill me, knowing that you'll only damage your body?"

Exdeath stares at him. "I am too wasted. Physical and magical attacks are of no use on a scarred body, so I killed myself through your powers."

"But why!?" Jeonghan cannot believe that he's feeling so sad for a dying enemy who was adamant on killing him.

"Spare me no pity, you mongrel. All will and shall return to the void. I may depart now, but all lives are meaningless."

Exdeath's grins, and his life force slowly drains as he mutters his last words.

"You too, shall join everyone in oblivion."

The younger male is unnerved by how his enemy embraced death so willingly, like it was his companion. Still, he was just a human with emotions, and he was reminded of the way Chan died. Although very far from his attachment to their member, Exdeath still existed as a creature. No one deserves to die no matter how cruel or twisted they are, that's what Jeonghan believes.

He examines his hands, and the power that dwells within him is what appears in his eyes. Jeonghan departs from where his enemy's corpse lain. He moves towards his friends, towards his brothers.

He may not understand the full potential of this power but he will surely use it to make sure that his friends will never meet the same fate as Chan's.

_ I failed in protecting you, so I will protect them for you _ . _ I will make you proud, Chan. _

* * *

Kuja's flight patterns vary from graceful to offensive. He also switches from holy and flare magic, but he combines them to create more explosive and powerful explosions. His holy magic are faster than the flare ones, but the flare orbs burn substance much faster. He makes sure to use each of his magic equally. That's what Jisoo has gathered from the past few minutes of dodging and evading.

Jisoo doesn't bother using offensive magic, he uses mostly blue (sleep), indigo (confusion), and violet (poison) light beams to expand his chances of winning. He uses one hand on casting them, raining it down on Kuja, who is quickly looking for areas that are unaffected by the light beams. Jisoo is tempted to use both hands, but his other hand is currently on his side, using a green beam to heal the burn on his abdomen. Most of the burns on his body has already been taken care of, the beam is just on the process of connecting the tissues back. The wounds on his thighs and shoulders have already been cleaned. He didn't bother healing the bruises on his face, the burns are way more important.

He internally celebrates when his blue beams consecutively hit Kuja's body. His movements slow down as his eyelids droop ever so slightly. Jisoo then hits him with poison beams, and they eat at the fur and burn his skin. He concentrates his confusion beams into multiple spheres and he encircles it around Kuja, continuously pumping a wave of psychedelic energy on the enemy's slowly descending body.

Kuja grunts, and the glow of orange on his eyes flicker. Jisoo sees this and he transforms all of his summoned beams into indigo. He showers Kuja with it, and the latter tugs at his hair. He wails, the confusion tearing through his brain, but Jisoo can see his eyes reverting back to normal.

Kuja faints, and his second form withers away, revealing his original form. Jisoo dives downward and catches Kuja's body as they slowly descend on the ground.

"Jisoo!" Light runs towards him, and Jisoo looks at the said man, who was handing out a sparkly key onto him.

"What's this?" 

"I'll explain it later. Plunge it in your chest when the situation becomes too dire." Before Jisoo could reply, Light was already taking off.

Jisoo examines the key. It's larger than most keys they use back on Earth, nearly between 5 or 6 inches long. There are intricate patterns on it that mostly remind him of Cosmos, so Jisoo surmises that this artifact was from the goddess.

"I'll save this for later. I don't think I'm in a dire situation right now." Jisoo smiles as Kuja's eyes flutter open. He offers a hand to help Kuja stand up, but Kuja just rolls his eyes, still sassy as ever, and swats the hand over as he gets up. 

"I'm an enemy, why would you even help me?" 

"You're not much of an enemy after you tried helping one of my brothers before he died. And technically, they even had to brainwash you to fight."

"I know, I remember every damned moment. But I couldn't control my body." Kuja floats and summons his flare and holy spheres. Jisoo retreats for a bit, his hands already aiming to use the key. Kuja sees this and laughs.

"You think I'm going to fight you after you flawlessly defeated me in my second form?"

Jisoo blinks, suddenly dumbfounded. "I…I never actually thought of that. Your magic nearly toasted my body."

Kuja grins. "I am pretty powerful when I don't hold back. Now, then, are you going to join me?" 

Jisoo replies, "What are we going to do?"

Kuja winks, and takes off to the battlefield. Jisoo grins, unbelievably happy that his enemy is fighting for their side.

"By the way, you have my gratitude…" Kuja looks at him, and smiles. Jisoo returns the smile, relieved and ecstatic at the same time. "...for the brainwash thing. I really didn't want to fight anymore. Not after witnessing your brother…Chan's death. Jecht and I were really aiming to join Cosmos. Bad things happened and that's how we got…" Kuja makes an exploding gesture above his head. Jisoo understands it though.

"So if Jecht is hypnotized too, then we also have to help him. I saw Jihoon fighting with him earlier, and they're practically destroying each other."

Kuja pauses, carding through his thoughts. He goes back flying, and Jisoo follows, equally matching Kuja's speed. "Wait, Kuja! What's going on?" 

Kuja doesn't reply. His thoughts are occupied by the small boy he helped escape. That small boy with the fuzzy tail that dangerously reminds him of the thief that guided him back to the right path when the others just used him to obey their desires.

"Your friends badly need reinforcements. And the two of us might just be what they need." 

* * *

"Hyung…hyung, I can help!" Seokmin bites his lower lip as a whine threatens to spill from his lips. Junhui has removed most of the blades from his body, and he wishes that Jisoo was right beside them to heal the younger's wounds. Most of the blades had cut deep inside Seokmin, but Seokmin suppressed the bleeding by casting ice on it. It wouldn't work much, but they had to improvise with what they had.

Especially when a sorceress is hellbent on killing them.

Junhui goes straight into kill mode when Ultimecia starts firing more blades at them. He's developing his plan of attack since he figured that the sorceress controls time and has spells that makes her release endless streams of blades. She attacks widely and heavily, delivering masses and masses of blades with her limitless magic. She can also create magic circles that emit blast attacks.

That's the reason why Junhui bites back with the same amount of power. He releases endless volumes of water around him and Seokmin, and he wills each wave to crash and slice through any surface they can touch. He fills their area with water, temporarily creating a raging river, but Seokmin and him are safe underwater where the waters are making their way without touching both men.

Seokmin sighs in wonder as Junhui holds one arm in controlling the massive body of water dangling above them and the other arm cleaning Seokmin's wounds, using the water from the younger's ice.

"Let me help…you are getting exhausted."

"You need to rest, Seokmin. Soonyoung will kill me if I don't take care of you."

Seokmin smiles as he holds Junhui's shoulders. "Fans usually label you as the fake maknae but you are actually very reliable, hyung."

"Stop talking and just rest. As long as that witch can't see us, she can't use her time magic on us. That's what made everything so difficult in the first place." 

Seokmin stares at Junhui as the latter's eyes dart from one wound to another. He's always amazed when Junhui displays his immense concentration.

But sometimes, Junhui gets too concentrated on one thing when he's stressed.

Seokmin's eyes widen when he sees Ultimecia above them. The sorceress cast her time magic to the waves to stop them from thrashing, and she parts them as her monstrous hands bubble up with magic.

"Found you." She summons her blades and they are all locked on Junhui. Seokmin gathers most of his remaining strength and slams his palms to the ground, raising a wall of ice to shield them.

Junhui snaps back to reality and he examines the ice wall. "Seok…"

"The ice…too thin…" Seokmin clutches at his chest as he heavily takes his breaths. However, Junhui knows what he means because the ice is cracking at the immense impact of Ultimecia's attack.

Junhui can't transform the ice into water because doing so will destroy the only protection they have from Ultimecia now. He's running out of options.

"Hyung…" Seokmin holds Junhui's hands. They share a look, and the younger conveys all of his gratitude for the older. Junhui just stares at him, horror slowly creeping to his face. 

"Seokmin, no. Whatever you're thinking, don't do it." 

Seokmin holds him tight, and whispers, "I love you." Then he flips their positions, Junhui gets dragged down on his back and Seokmin landing on top of him.

"No! Seokmin get off me!" 

Then the ice breaks. Metal rains on them and Junhui's eyes pool with tears as Seokmin's body shakes with every blade piercing on the younger's body.

"N-no…NO! SEOKMIN!" Junhui's screams go unheard by the younger as his eyes slowly roll back to it sockets. The attack stops, and Ultimecia hovers above them grinning. Seokmin falls down beside Junhui, his back a mutilated mess with countless blades perched on his flesh.

Junhui feels the danger, his emotions are spiking into new, uncharted areas he has never explored. Anger, sadness, loss, and failure are all bubbling up inside him and it's swelling, like a balloon slowly being filled with water.

He takes one look on Seokmin's body, and he remembers how he failed their youngest. Now, he has failed Seokmin, and he's probably failed Soonyoung, too.

Before the balloon overflows, Junhui takes the thorn growing inside him and he pops it.

Junhui lets go, and revenge has never felt so good.

* * *

_ Third Movement: King of the Seas _

* * *

Ultimecia stares with fear as Junhui rises up from the ground, with streams of water dancing around him. The waters also raise Seokmin into the higher portion of the cliff and they guard his body, forming a barrier of water around the younger's body.

The witch throws another batch of spears and knives to the floating warrior but Junhui's fingers twitch and Ultimecia's body gets splashed to the spiky canyons behind her. She coughs harshly, water coming out of her mouth after Junhui's attack.

However, Junhui was only beginning. He snarls at Ultimecia as he continuously delivers tides of water crashing to the sorceress' body. Ultimecia screams as the fifth tide snaps both of her arms backwards. Junhui lifts her up, raising her on his eye level. Ultimecia snarls back and shouts.

"TIME!"

All movement slows down, and the gears of time completely halt as Junhui and his waters stop moving. Ultimecia smirks, and uses her wings to release herself from his hold.

"Foolish boy." Ultimecia uses the last of her magic and surrounds Junhui with the sharpest blades that she can conjure.

"Your hopes, your friends, and your life itself…" The witch laughs as she stares at Junhui, unable to finish her sentence. She doubles over in laughter, closing her eyes as she revels in the sweet victory she's about to achieve. There's no way that the boy can survive the onslaught, because when she resumes time, all of the blades surrounding Junhui will move and stab his body full of holes. Ultimecia can almost shout for joy just imagining it.

When she opens her eyes, Junhui has disappeared in front of her. She looks behind him, and Junhui whips her with water, sending the sorceress crashing down the rocks below. Junhui hovers above him, and he destroys Ultimecia's unused blades. His aura spikes even more and the waters around him compress. Ultimecia watches with wide eyes as the waters transform to Leviathan, the ancient beast of the ocean. The beast's eyes glow bluish, and so does Junhui's. When he opens his mouth, he speaks the ancient language of the beasts. His voice rings of tsunamis, tidal waves, and at this moment, Junhui has become the human embodiment of the ocean.

** _YOU CANNOT BIND ME WITH TIME, MORTAL WITCH! THIS HUMAN DEEMS YOU UNWORTHY OF THE LIVES YOU'VE TAKEN, AND IN RETURN, YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE DEEP!_ **

Junhui watches as the Leviathan lunges towards Ultimecia's body. He hears the crunching of bones, merciless rage, the full power of the seas has answered his call, and he just watches. Maybe the witch was right about him being foolish. He's capable to kill because he wants to protect his brothers.

Because he wants to avenge Chan and Seokmin.

He heard Ultimecia's cries for help before the serpent's body drags her to the skies. A large burst of energy lights up the sky and Junhui looks up as rain falls down on the parched ground of the battlefield. He closes his eyes, his breathings strangled while he welcomes the coldness of the rain.

He won.

He prevailed. 

But as he lowers himself down beside Seokmin, he feels numb. As he removes the barrier of water protecting his younger member, he doesn't feel like celebrating. As he hugs Seokmin's lifeless body, Junhui feels like he's lost.

He heaves, wails, shouts, and cries his laments under the unforgiving sky, questioning if he… _ they _ will ever be the same without their sunshine.

Light's feet makes splashing noises under the heavy rain as he spots Junhui and Seokmin's figure a few meters from where he was.

"Junhui! Seokmin!" He runs, and he takes a look at the scene. When Junhui looks up at him with tears in his eyes, Light didn't need to ask more questions.

He drops on his knees and presses his ears on Seokmin's chest. He simultaneously searches for Seokmin's pulse on his wrists, and he waits for the faintest beat.

"What are you doing!? I saw…I fucking saw what happened! If you only saw what that woman did to him…what he did to my brother…" Junhui cries harder as Light continues waiting for a heartbeat. 

"Light, please! Get up! I know you're probably desperate because of what happened to Chan, but this is war! No matter how much we wish for a happy ending, a war cannot be won without lives lost!" 

"He's alive." Light whispers, eyes wide.

"No…don't do that please…"

"He is! Junhui, listen to me!" 

"DON'T GIVE ME HOPE!" 

"Soldier!" Light grips Junhui's shoulder as the rain falls harder and drenches their bodies. Junhui looks at him while sobbing and Light gives him two keys. Junhui stares at him, and Light smiles.

"His heart is still beating, Seokmin is still not letting go. Plunge that key into his heart, and you'll see."

"What about the other one?" Junhui looks at the two keys resting on his palm.

"You probably won't need it since you are already in your second form. I can tell based on your aura. Good work, Junhui, you prevailed over the enemy." Light pats him on his shoulders, offering a small smile. "Now, Seokmin needs you. After you help him, then go to the other members. They all need help." Light dashes forward and jumps down the cliff. Junhui watches him flawlessly tread through the canyons and he wonders if he'll ever get tired of how awesome Light is.

He takes hold of one key, and places it above Seokmin's chest. A keyhole appears and he slightly jumps back, slightly surprised despite all of the weird shit they've witnessed. He takes another look at the key, and he takes a deep breath.

"I know you can hear me, Seokmin. And thank you so much for holding on. I don't know what gave you so much strength to keep on fighting after what she did to you, but I hope you're thinking of us." 

He brings the key down and Seokmin's body floats as ancient magic explodes inside him. It repairs his skin, seals all his wounds, and reinforces his armor. Junhui watches in awe as he feels Seokmin's power surge, and it's entirely euphoric how Seokmin is being reborn in front of him, and he sheds tears at the sight of Seokmin opening his eyes.

"Rise, Seokmin."

* * *

_ Fourth Movement: Shiva's Legionnaire _

* * *

As soon as Seokmin is brought back to the ground, Junhui hugs him tightly. Seokmin hears sniffs and Junhui's body is trembling in his arms. His heart aches at the sound of his hyung crying so he gently ran his hands up and down on Junhui's back as he let him calm down.

"I really thought that you died. I thought you left me." Seokmin coos at his hyung's babbling and he wipes the tears falling from his brother's eyes.

"Don't say that. I'm here, and I'm not leaving." Seokmin presses his lips on Junhui's forehead, and the older just hugs him tighter, tears not ceasing.

"Never leave me, Seokmin. Never leave us, I-I…I had to be strong for Hao when Chan died but—" Junhui sniffs, his voice shaking. "—I was dying too. It was so hard to wake up without Channie…and for a moment, I thought you died and I just c-can't continue living if you really did die so please, Seokmin…" Junhui grips Seokmin's body tighter and Seokmin does the same as he fails to suppress his tears.

"Seokmin, never leave me again."

Seokmin sobs on Junhui's hair, and their cries harmonize with the sound of the rain. "I-I was scared, hyung. I was so scared. It was calling me, and it was so tempting to just give up and rest. But I guess I am stubborn, because I remained rooted to the ground as it coaxed me. Whatever it was, maybe it also saw how much I love you, Soonie, and the rest…"

Seokmin stares into Junhui's eyes, and despite the redness blossoming in it due to the constant tears pouring from it, his hyung still looked so ethereal. "...Soonie loves me so much, and you protected me despite having wounds of your own. The members also care for me just as much, and Chan…I can't just give in and rest after what he did for us. I love my family more than I can ever admit but right now, the reason why I took a stand and told death to go fuck itself is because of you all."

Junhui gives in to his feelings, and kisses Seokmin on his lips. Might be platonic, maybe romantic, but Seokmin talking so fondly about them has made everything on his head so fuzzy and electric.

The younger entertains him and kisses back, cradling his head gently as their lips merge. They break contact, and Seokmin smiles. "What about Minghao?" 

Junhui smirks back, "What about Soonyoung?" 

Seokmin holds his hands. "We can tell them. I know Soonyoung won't mind. He still has a crush on everyone, I swear." 

Junhui just chuckles. "Let's just save that for another day. Light came to me and apparently, most of our members are getting their asses handed to them, like what we experienced with that witch."

"Speaking of, where is she?" 

Junhui smiles and makes an explosion motion with his hands. Seokmin's jaw drops, seemingly amazed. "You killed…her?"

"Well, after you did your heroic act, my powers bursted like a dam, like literally, I entered my second form and I just had one thing on my mind during that time and that was to tear her apart. I even summoned Leviathan." 

Seokmin screams. "Really!? Wow, hyung, you are high level now!" 

"Well, you too. Look at you, you look majestic!"

Their banter stops when something crashes hard near the edge of the cliff. Junhui and Seokmin both arm themselves and cautiously goes nearer to the unknown body, but due to their heightened senses, they sense Seungkwan's aura radiating from it. They waste no time and they both tend to the younger male, who was sporting fresh burns and cuts everywhere. His garments are mostly torn but not to the point where he's almost naked.

Seungkwan grunts, his lips busted, as his two hyungs help him sit up. He closes his eyes and sighs. "Hello to you two, what brings you here?"

"Seungkwan you little shit, what happened to you?" Junhui cleans his wounds swiftly, thanks to his spiked energy. He examines Seungkwan and it appears that the youngest member still hasn't entered his second form. 

"Oh, you know, just the usual. Getting my ass busted with magic while a specific jester celebrates my misery."

Seokmin snickers. "Sounds like a random day at the circus."

Seungkwan hisses as he tries to crouch. He settles to just kneel on one knee to slightly rest his body. "Excuse me boys but I'll need you to cover your ears."

Seokmin and Junhui share a look, and they both stand back and cover their ears once Seungkwan starts pumping out currents of lightning from his body.

A loud boom comes from the sky as Kefka comes diving down towards Seungkwan, but the older boy screams, letting out a sonic blast that disorients the demonic jester who was mere meters from mauling him. He follows the first attack with multiple beams of lightning. He didn't care if his attacks were uncalculated, but he wastes most of his powers in one attack as his lightning beams tear through Kefka's arms and wings.

Kefka retaliates by redirecting the lightning beam towards Seungkwan. It doesn't hit him, but it strikes the earth on his side and it throws Seungkwan on his back. Kefka screams in irritation when he examines his singed wings.

"You will pay for that, whelp!" 

He lunges for Seungkwan, and he almost tears his body in half when he finds thick ice blossoming from the ground, holding him in place. He looks towards the three warriors, and the trail of ice leads him to Seokmin.

Kefka smirks as he effortlessly melts the ice with flare magic, but Seokmin stomps his feet and Kefka is thrown upwards as large spikes of ice appear on the ground below him. Kefka recovers, and he can still fly even though his wings are damaged. Ice grows out of thin air and Seokmin's eyes glow white, icicles and glaciers materializing in thin air and Kefka finds himself trapped. He releases multiple fireballs and even resorts to using dark and light magic to escape the hellish mass of ice that Seokmin is currently summoning.

Seokmin's right hand makes a crumpling motion, and all of the frozen matter surrounding Kefka attaches itself to his body, lumping and trapping him on sub-zero temperatures. When Seokmin finishes, the massive lump of ice is almost as huge as an average-sized asteroid. He opens his crumpled hand, and a spark of magic blinds Junhui and Seungkwan for a moment. When they open their eyes, the sphere of ice has grown spikes from the inside. Seokmin's eyes turn back to normal as he thaws the ice, turning it into cold air. Kefka's body falls on the ground, blood leaking everywhere due to the holes on his body.

But the jester is still alive.

He dashes, and aims to strangle Seokmin. But Seungkwan meets him halfway and slaps his chest, delivering a strike of lightning through it. His chest bursts, and blood sprays on Seungkwan's garments and face. Kefka stares at him, both hands gripping the fabric on Seungkwan's arm as he slowly seeps out of life.

"Why create life, knowing that we will all die at some point?" Kefka mutters. "Look at you all, just a bunch of humans tampering around destruction. Now…you all embody it. All of you have become destruction itself!" 

Seungkwan grips the flesh of Kefka's chest, which results to the clown writhing and screaming in pain. Junhui and Seokmin both try to calm him down but Seungkwan wasn't relenting. "Do not lump us with your kind. We started this whole thing because of Chan, and your wretched God took him away from us! He was a child, you asshole! He was just a child! We loved him, and you all killed him!"

Kefka's laughs grow louder and louder. "We? You and your lousy group of neglectful incels killed him! Pray tell, would you look at him differently if all of that did not happen? You only started caring when his flesh was rotting. Come on, tell me!"

"Yes, we did." Seungkwan's tears come down on both his eyes as he looks at the grinning jester. "With every single moment that has passed since we killed him, we always blame ourselves. I blame myself, and that's the reason why we willingly throw ourselves in this bloodbath. We are doing this to honor him, because unlike us, Chan was brave. So don't even lump me, or my brothers, with your kind!" Seungkwan grips the flesh harder until he reaches inside Kefka's chest and bursts his heart.

"Because unlike you, who enjoy killing for no reason, I can only kill because of what you did to Chan. You took his life, and we take yours." 

Kefka dies smiling, and he whispers his last words to them. "Destruction is meaningless if no lives are wasted." 

Seungkwan removes his arm inside Kefka's chest and he cringes when it makes a squelching sound. Junhui wastes no time in cleaning Seungkwan's body and Seokmin examines Kefka's body, just making sure if he really is dead.

Seungkwan stares at Junhui. "That was kinda sad…the way he thinks, you know? Even in death, destruction plagues his mind. Maybe…maybe he was broken too, and he uses destruction to fulfill his needs no matter how skewed his judgments may be."

Junhui just purses his lips in a tight line. "Sometimes, we can't fix everything. Surely, we could've subdued him in other ways, but this is war, and the people on his side are the same. They are killers, and they don't have any conscience about it. These people are different, Kwannie, they were human. But how they went from humans to mindless killing machines are entirely their fault. Years of doing the same thing and I'm sure they've probably encountered many opportunities to abandon that life and do the right thing, but they didn't."

Seokmin sighs. "What about us? Yes, we fight for Chan. We fight for each other, but we also killed them. I contributed into killing him, doesn't that make us…I don't know. Are we monsters, hyung?" 

Junhui stares at both of his younger members and sighs. He hugs them and he presses soft kisses on their cheeks. "I don't know. But whatever happens in the future, we will all face it together. Now, let's get going. Our members need us."

They all take flight, Seungkwan was surprised for a bit when Seokmin and Junhui started flying but when he finds out that they are both in their second forms, he understands. 

"You all need to tell me how you did it after this is all done!" Seungkwan pouts, and Seokmin laughs. Junhui takes the key out of his armor's pocket and gives it to Seungkwan. 

"What's this, hyung?" 

"I don't know, but Light gave that to me to save Seokmin. If you place it near your chest, a keyhole will appear, and you pretty much just insert it and you will go to your second form." 

"Wow! That's like a higher form of cheat code! Did you use one?" 

Junhui shakes his head. "I transitioned to it when I thought Seokmin died. Maybe my emotions were the key, just like Seungcheol hyung's."

They stay silent after that, and Seungkwan looks at the key on his hands. He grips it tight and smiles as he makes a mental note to use it later when he needs to.

They're going to win, Seungkwan will make sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/4
> 
> Yep, you read that right. The war is split into 4 parts now. I really want to make it close to the power levels that they have in their games but I had to make them weaker so that I could progress through. Sorry for that 😞
> 
> Also, I just want to say this although I am pretty sure you guys ignore my notes hahahaha but lately, I see lesser and lesser of the readers that I see on the comments. There are still people that read and I am grateful for it, but I can't help but feel hurt when the old readers never comment anymore? I don't know, I just need some reassurance that they're still there if you guys know what I mean. I'm not seeking pity and I am not ungrateful because I'm luckier than most authors because my fanfic got more attention more than I expected it to have. I'm sorry if the grammar or the story sucks sometimes but I will continue writing this and I will make sure that this fanfic will be completed ☺️☺️
> 
> Sorry for the rant, I'm just so emotionally sensitive these past few days. Thank you all, for reading this lousy fic hahahaha I'm still struggling with words since English is not my native language but I try hard to make the journey comfortable for you all! I love you guys 😊😊😊


	19. Battle of the Bleeding Gorge: The Third Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmos' warriors find allies in the midst of war  
And, one familiar face comes to meet them

Severe clanging of metal against powerful rivers of darkness, that's the description that Wonwoo thinks of if someone were to ask him what he's been hearing for the past few hours now.

Battling Exdeath was easier than this entity. First of all, it's distracting enough that it took the form of a woman who's barely clothed, and at the very least, his attacks were hitting Exdeath. Because of his lean body, he was able to dodge all counters, and he could instantaneously throw a quick counter to damage the enemy. He makes a mental note to thank Seungkwan and Soonyoung for forcing him to take yoga classes.

The entity's attack patterns are a bit similar to Light's. It bombards its enemies with columns of dark energy that have the ability to follow its target. It can also counter like Exdeath, blocking an attack and dealing another swiftly. Wonwoo had no problems dodging and hitting, but those tentacles really gave his face a beating.

Also, his enemy is also clean of battle wounds because it is a wraith, and it can manipulate its tangibility. Meaning, Wonwoo's enemy is a freaking ghost, and his feints are pretty useless since it's just passing through the entity's body.

Jeonghan could've seriously packed a serious pain to his enemy, because a while ago, when Wonwoo shielded himself from a beam attack, a portion of it was refracted to the wraith's body and it damaged the side of its arm. Wonwoo tried many tactics to get the entity's attacks to itself but his enemy is smarter than it seems.

Exhaustion slowly possesses Wonwoo as he continues to slam the ground, summoning pieces of sharp metal and bending them to hone on his enemy. He splits some of it, creating sharp tendrils that chase the elusive entity's body. It remains futile as the woman phases its body so that it can't get hurt as Wonwoo continues a barrage.

"Resistance is useless." It summons a wide wall of dark energy and she pushes it forward, toppling Wonwoo and the ground around him. He summons his own steel wall to protect himself, and he breaks it into pieces, transforming the long and sharp metal into spears and longswords. He absorbs the unused weapons back to his body and leaves one spear on his right. The woman charges up a ball of energy on its hands as it dashes towards the male. He throws it hard, and once again, it passes through the woman's body, but it also pierces the ball of energy between its hands, and it explodes harshly. The woman shrieks as its own power burns its arms and some of the skin on its chest. The entity slips out of its intangibility because it is vulnerable to its own powers, and Wonwoo uses that split second to attack. He takes his discovery, and wastes no time as he redirects the spear backwards. He almost gallops in happiness when the spear draws blood, the tip protruding from the woman's abdomen.

Wonwoo now has a leverage he can use.

He cracks his knuckles and breaks the spear into thin, sharp threads and he slithers it inside his enemy's flesh. The entity lets out a guttural scream as the metal inside her spark an unspeakable pain, tiny spikes coming out of her porcelain skin and staining it red. Its tentacles come forward to wrap themselves around Wonwoo's neck, but they get burned by arcane energy as rose petals fly around the space between the two warriors.

"Hyung!" Wonwoo cries out as Jeonghan lands in front of him, a storm of petals surrounding him. His body is glowing with power, and Wonwoo can almost taste the heaviness around his aura.

"Hey there, Won. Looks like you don't need any help here." Jeonghan comes down and offers Wonwoo a hug. Their moment fades when they hear the familiar whirring sound of an incoming attack.

The entity gathers up massive energy to create the largest ball of darkness, almost tearing up its own body in the process of amassing such hefty power in its palm. It looked even deadlier with Wonwoo's metal protruding from its body, and it laughs. It straight up cackles with its blood-stained spit spraying everywhere.

Wonwoo releases all of the metals stuffed inside his body. The unformed cubes gather together to form any sharp weapon that Wonwoo can use to kill and defend, at least that's what he commands his power to do. Jeonghan stares at him and smiles, almost too cocky for Wonwoo's eyes. 

"Hyung, don't do anything stupid, I swear!" 

"Not this time." Jeonghan starts taking a defensive stance, inserting himself in the area of attack. Wonwoo notices that the older doesn't form a barrier of some sort, so he quickly forms a wall to cover Jeonghan as the enemy's power reaches new heights of frequency, signalling the coming of an intense attack.

Jeonghan looks back. "Take the wall down, Wonwoo!" 

"Yoon Jeonghan, you fucking shit, stop endangering yourself!" 

"Oh for Christ's sake—" Jeonghan stops persuading Wonwoo and transforms a portion of the petals into orbs of glowing energy. He directs it to Wonwoo's metals and it instantly vaporizes. Wonwoo shudders at the immense power Jeonghan holds and he sees the enemy sneer before the ball of darkness descends down on Jeonghan. 

"PERISH!" The woman screams, its voice almost demonic. Jeonghan's body prevents the ball from connecting with the ground, and it eats his body fully.

"NO!" Wonwoo screams, and he kneels in complete submission as he sees Jeonghan's silhouette being erased inside the dark matter.

Petals burst from the surface of the huge darkness, and they encircle around it as its size slowly reduces. He hears a scream, and he's dumbfounded to see the woman, his enemy, fallen to the ground, body convulsing as its body slowly disintegrate into ashes. The ball of energy goes smaller and smaller, until Jeonghan appears outside it, the darkness being absorbed into his body.

Dark bolts of electricity run in the expanse of the entity's body as it explodes into a dark plume of smoke.

Wonwoo looks at the older male, and Jeonghan quickly resorts to explaining. "It's my second form. It basically turns me into a human voodoo doll. I absorb any attack but it never hurts me, because the damage is inflicted on the attacker."

"Fucking hell, that was awesome!" Wonwoo hugs Jeonghan again. "But couldn't you have done that earlier? I really had a hard time with that bitch." 

Jeonghan just giggles and holds Wonwoo's hands "You ungrateful prick. Come on, let's help the others."

* * *

Jihoon is completely conscious when he fully uses a beast body, and he knows that Cosmos is probably tired of hearing his mental voice but he's just really thankful that the goddess upgraded his powers. He doesn't go through hellish pain when he transforms and he can switch between his beast forms and human form seamlessly. He's currently using his eagle form as he dives towards Jecht, who jumps high to meet him. He swipes his blade and it releases columns of fire from its edges.

Jihoon flaps the wings downward, creating a strong flow of wind to dispel the incoming attack. Jecht uses the bristles on his back to glide through the air. He surges forward, hypnosis running strong around his mind, and screams for bloody murder as he raises his blade. Jihoon's huge body explodes into jade sparks as he reverts to his human form, narrowly missing the sword that could've sliced his wings. Jihoon swiftly morphs his arms back into its eagle wings and long tail feathers grow from the edge of his spine. Jecht comes back with the same speed and rages his sword towards Jihoon's body. The smaller male soars upward to dodge and flips his body to slam the tail harshly on Jecht. It makes a loud _ whack _ as it hits the bristles of his enemy and sends him plummeting. Jihoon wastes no time taking advantage of the massive opening he created and he hardens most of the feathers on his wings before he sends showers of it towards Jecht.

His enemy screams and an orange type of barrier materializes in front of his body. Jihoon's feather blades pierce through it, cracking it with immense force. Jihoon dives down and morphs his legs into its mammoth form and kicks the blades perched on Jecht's barrier. It breaks into shards, and the blades pierce through Jecht's skin. His enemy makes a resounding scream of pain.

Jihoon's body glows with serpentine energy as he fully morphs into his bear form, and he clasps his hands together as he hammers Jecht's body downwards. He falls hard, with the ground making a wide crater due to the impact. Jihoon swiftly morphs into his human form and uses his dragon wings. There's no reason why, but his dragon wings are much more menacing than his eagle ones.

He walks towards the fallen man, his body has taken too much strain and Jihoon watched as Jecht reverts back to his first form. The bristles disappear, and hard muscles resurface to view. Jihoon can still see the raging power of the hypnosis on Jecht's eyes, and he's caught frozen with guilt. Jecht is not exactly in the right mindset, and he was out of his wills for the whole time they were fighting. He's still struggling to stand up, but every movement he makes just pushes the feather blades deeper into his body. Chaos surely turned him into a mindless puppet, only seeking to kill, and he's relieved by the fact that their youngest didn't meet this fate.

"Jihoon!" Said man turns his head to the voice and finds Jisoo, with Kuja who's seemingly in control of his actions unlike when he last saw him bombarding Jisoo with attacks. Still, he morphs one arm to its bear form and places it in front of Jisoo's body. If there is one thing that war has taught him, it's the fact that one should always be on guard.

He feels soft hands touch the fur on his arms. "Jihoon, it's okay." Jihoon glances at Jisoo, and an indifferent one towards Kuja, who only snickers at him. Jisoo gently guides Jihoon's arms downward. "He's on our side."

Jihoon eyes Kuja with uncertainty. "Prove it." 

Kuja rolls his eyes. "The fact that I am not actively trying to kill you and your friend is proof already, don't you think?" 

Jihoon shrugs. "Can't blame me." 

Jisoo smiles at the younger and pats his arms. Jihoon smiles back, and his beast parts all fade to jade sparks, leaving only the human parts intact. Jisoo glides towards Jecht and releases all of his indigo light beams. He turns it into small orbs and lets it dance above Jecht's body. His face scrunches and frowns as the confusion slowly seeps inside his mind, relieving it from its fixation on unrelenting rage that compels him to kill.

"Boost it. He's trying to fight." Kuja says, more as a command than a suggestion, but Jisoo complies easily and Jihoon just gives him a sour look.

"Remove that sneer off your face or I'll wipe it for you!" Kuja glares at Jihoon, and they share an intense staring match that gets broken when Jecht groans loudly. They both look at the man, but Jihoon can still hear Kuja whispering something along the lines of _ "Ungrateful midget. After I stitched his back, this is the thanks I get?" _

Jecht raises his head and blinks, his eyes have reverted to their original glow and he hisses in pain. "Oh hell—" 

Jisoo and Jihoon panic when Jecht screams and writhes from the pain piercing his guts. Kuja moves with finesse as his hands glow blue. He presses it near the wounds and he commands the two boys. "Jihoon, I need you to remove all of the blades. Jisoo, after Jihoon plucks them off, you need to shower him with your healing magic immediately. These swords are huge and his wounds will open at the slightest movement so I need you both to focus. I'll help in healing, so don't worry. Just do your jobs and we'll close the holes one by one. Understand?"

Jisoo and Jihoon both nod. The latter holds the huge blade, and the older one crouches next to Kuja. His hands glow with green energy and he's almost trembling with anticipation.

"Jecht, we'll do it on three, okay? " Kuja pats Jecht's arm and the latter just answers with a grit of his teeth. "Get on with it already!"

"Okay, one...two…" Jihoon grips the blade tightly, his hands glowing jade while the two healers press their palms on the edges of the wounds.

"Three!" 

Jihoon makes the blade disappear into jade sparks and leaves Jecht's wound open and exposed. The latter spasms with raw pain and his voice is already hoarse from screaming. Kuja and Jisoo's magic immediately repairs every broken tissue, mending the flesh slowly and accurately. They stay silent for a few minutes, and repeat the same routine for 5 times until every blade is removed and each wound has been treated.

Jisoo bathes Jecht with green light beams, returning all his stamina and health back. Kuja checks for broken bones and dislocated joints before he helps Jecht stand up.

Jecht lets out a sigh of relief once his body is completely healed. "Man, for someone with that height, you sure have titanic strength. You all should've seen how he tail-whips. And his feathers can be used as blades!" 

Kuja's brows raise. "Those blades are…feathers?"

Jisoo smiles. "It's his shapeshifting ability. He can shapeshift into different beasts and he can morph some of his body parts into its beast counterparts. He can turn his left arm into a bear's and he can turn the right one into a lion's. He can discover which combinations he can utilize."

"Yeah. Earlier, his small form was mutated into different beast parts. He looked like a summoning from my world." Jecht pats Jihoon's arm. "Sorry for attacking you. Chaos' power is nothing to belittle but you beat me in your first form. Good job, Jihoon." 

Kuja sighs. "I don't know if I should be in awe or insulted that they defeated us in our second forms while they were in their human bodies." 

Jihoon smiles back. "Well, if it comforts you, you were hypnotized. Maybe if you were more controlled of your actions, you could've floored us." 

Kuja rolls his eyes for the nth time, but there's a ghost of happiness in his features. "Oh shut up and let's get moving. We've got some betrayal to do." 

Jisoo freezes. "W-what?" 

Kuja sighs. "We, as in me and Jecht. We are going to help you so we are practically betraying our side. Calm down and settle for a bit, younglings."

* * *

"Crap!" Hansol tears a portal beside him before Golbez' pet dragon tears him apart. He lands to a floating slab of earth, there are some crystals growing from it but Hansol couldn't care less. Mingyu had no more weapons at his disposal because they were all destroyed during the cosmic blast earlier. Now, he was held hostage by said enemy, and Hansol has to find a way to save his older member.

He hides behind one of the higher rocks and he examines the situation. Golbez holds one hand to keep Mingyu from moving, defending his territory while his dragon is the one doing the offense.

He's running out of options. One trick can actually work, but he needs to bait the dragon.

So he steps out of his hiding spot. The dragon slowly turns around to face him. It snarls before it snakes its way fast towards Hansol. Mingyu twitches from Golbez' hold on him, and if he could only scream, he'd tell Hansol to leave and get somewhere safer.

Hansol steadies his breathing as the dragon rushes through, destroying some of the floating debris.

"That's it, come closer." He whispers, before a dagger materializes from his hands. He waits until the dragon is screeching from victory. It was only inches away from him, before time practically slows down for Hansol as he slices the air, creating a portal to redirect the dragon to Golbez' body. Due to the speed that it took, the dragon collides with Golbez accidentally, creating a massive impact that destroys the magnetic field around them. Golbez and his dragon plummet downwards, and Mingyu does too.

Hansol throws the dagger to create a portal to catch Mingyu's body. Then he creates another one to land them safely to the ground below. He watches the slabs of earth crashing down alongside Golbez, then he examines Mingyu if he's still paralyzed.

"Hyung, are you okay? Did he do anything?"

Hansol lets out the breath he's holding when Mingyu's mouth opens. "I'm fine, fortunately. Good thing I have a reliable savior to rescue me." Mingyu pats Hansol's cheeks and they both share a smile.

The brief happiness doesn't last when Hansol floats in the air and he gets pulled backwards. He chokes when Golbez' huge hand slams on his throat. Mingyu tries to follow but he crashes downward as the warlock paralyzes him once again. Hansol takes a look at the enemy to see his armor cracked. His trick worked, but alas, he's caught this time.

"Golbez!"

Said man doesn't move, and his hold on Hansol's throat doesn't budge, but Hansol tries to smile when he sees Jihoon and Jisoo running towards them.

"Golbez, they don't deserve this." A bulky man lays his hands on Golbez, Hansol remembers his name is Jecht, and that the man is also a warrior of Chaos. But he also remembers that he tried healing Chan before he died.

Another man joins them, Hansol remembers him as Kuja, and he also tried helping Chan back then. "Jecht, I think he's also hypnotized"

_ No. _

A larger and heavier voice rings throughout their surroundings, and Hansol falls down to the ground, gasping for air as he holds his throat. The paralysis on Mingyu's body disappears and he instantly runs towards Hansol to hug and cage the younger protectively.

Golbez' figure slowly fades away from view, like television static, and the destruction caused to the surroundings around them also fade, revealing an untouched battlefield. Not far from them, Golbez stands, unscathed, but his dragon is nowhere to be found. Hansol and Mingyu share a dumbfounded look, and Golbez comes towards them.

"I don't want to fight, that much is true. That's why I cast an illusion barrier where everyone but me can be affected."

Hansol wheezes. "But I felt every hit. E-every strike and pain. You almost choked me to death, how—" Hansol's voice dissolve into coughs, and Mingyu speaks for him. "Your magic, the dragon and the whole magnetic field…that was an illusion?" 

Golbez nods. "My illusions attack all six senses: vision, auditory, taste, perception, olfactory, and intuition. However, if you two noticed, all my deadly attacks missed your bodies. I had to hurt you at times so that the others can't question me, especially Mateus. But I couldn't kill, not anymore. Forgive me for doing this, but I didn't want to be hypnotized. Who knows what horrors I could've done…"

Jecht snickers. "They'll still probably floor you. These two kids kicked us around, in their first forms, while we were in our second forms. Cosmos really went all-out on her warriors this time around."

Kuja speaks while examining his nails. "I'd do the same if I was her. Imagine thinking that the conflict was done and then, Chaos wills himself back to life and wages another war. It's been thirteen long cycles, I can only imagine how annoying it must be to know that a fourteenth one could even be conceived." 

They help Mingyu and Hansol recover. Golbez, Kuja, and Jisoo can all use their healing magics, so they were all patched up swiftly. 

"Are you sure we won't be punished for this treason we are about to commit?" Golbez asks. Kuja and Jecht stay silent for a while, and the three boys just looks at them.

Kuja answers. "Given the circumstances, The Great Will favors Cosmos than Chaos, and we'll only be punished if Chaos wins this war, which is probably impossible given that the remaining enemy is only Mateus."

All men gasp, and Kuja frowns. "What?" 

"Garland's already out?" Jecht asks.

"How did it happen?" Golbez asks.

"We're winning!?" Jihoon smiles.

"Woah this was easier than I thought!" Jisoo smiles back at Jihoon.

"Sephiroth's already dead!?" Mingyu huffs. Hansol just stares at them with wide eyes.

Kuja is really tempted to roll his own. "Okay, seeing that you are all clueless, Cosmos basically used a cheat, but I don't know how she did it because it breaks one of the laws. She gave Light these keys that could probably unlock second forms. I overheard Light talking to Jisoo and he told him to plunge the key to his chest if he's in dire need. But he didn't because at that time, he already subdued me."

Jisoo opens his palms and a white, glowing key materializes from it. Jihoon, Mingyu, and Hansol look at it with awe.

Kuja continues. "As I've said, I was conscious the whole time I was hypnotized, so I saw what happened at the battlefield while I was chasing Jisoo. Garland and Sephiroth were brutally killed by this dark demon thing. I thought it was summoned, but its face was familiar—"

Jihoon interrupts. "Seungcheol…that was him."

Mingyu grunts. "Dang, he took away my kill!" 

Kuja's jaw drops open, but he manages to continue. "O-okay. Ultimecia was killed by Leviathan, followed by Kefka being killed by two warriors, an ice-wielder and elemental spirit. There was this mime I knew from when we first fought in the unprotected lands. He was with a metal summoner and they both bested the wraith and Exdeath. Jisoo and I helped Jecht come to his senses and now, we just discovered that your whole shebang was just an illusion. Those are 6 defeated Chaos warriors, add the 3 of us out of the equation, and 9 out of 10 are already wiped. That only leaves one, which is the Palamecian emperor, Mateus."

"Then we need to gather the remaining warriors before we defeat the emperor!" Jisoo floats in the air. "Hansol, come with me. I'm gonna need your portals."

Jihoon rushes to join the two. "I'm going too!" He releases his wings and he carries Hansol. 

Mingyu stays in position. "I'm going to fight. I'm healed now, and I can help!" 

Jecht nods. "Okay then. Lead the way, Kuja."

"Follow me."

* * *

Seungcheol has been running for what seems like ages. The light in front of him only grows smaller as time passes, and he's slowly getting tired. 

The light is the only thing keeping him company in the emptiness, and seeing it disappear is crumbling all the positivity in his body.

Is he dying? Seungcheol sure hopes not. He can't die, not like this. He has to live for Jihoon. The younger will be devastated to see him dead, and Seungcheol's not sure if he could live in the afterlife while Jihoon is slowly dying without him.

_ …cheol _

He whips his head towards the sound, he didn't hear it clearly but it sounded like someone was calling his name.

_ Seungcheol! _

"Hello!" Seungcheol screams back, calling to the unknown source chanting his name.

_ Cheol, you have to wake up! _

Seungcheol runs, he keeps on answering the voice calling him. The voice grows louder, and he covers his eyes as the light becomes brighter in the distance. It's getting bigger, and Seungcheol smiles amidst the darkness.

_ Seungcheol, come back to me! _

He recognizes the voice. He'll know it anywhere. Even if he was to be born again, he'll know his voice.

Seungcheol runs fast, his footsteps echoing in the vast wideness of emptiness, the light slowly compresses and moves to form the shape of a huge keyhole. He moves, one foot in front of the other, and he's so close now. He reaches his arms to the light, and the brightness explodes around him as soon as his fingertips caressed the faintest thread of light. He feels himself being carried, floating once more, but it feels so warm and comforting.

"I'm on my way, Jihoon!"

* * *

"Cheol, damn it, you have to wake up!" Jihoon keeps a steady hold on Seungcheol's unconscious form as they fly to the upper cliffs of the gorge. He lands abruptly, wings dissolving as he lays the older gently on the ground. He curls two fingers on the side of Seungcheol's neck, and he smiles at the vibration he feels from his pulse.

"He's fine. Just unconscious."

Jisoo nods and his green light orbs dance from his arms to the older's body. "He doesn't have any wounds, but this will help him regain his lost strength. He's probably strained if he really entered his second form."

"I just hope he remembers it this time. I don't think I can tell him what he did to those...God, I feel sick just thinking of it." Jihoon gulps as flashes of his enemies' remains enter his mind. Blood, organs, and severed body parts decorated that part of the terrain, and in the middle of it was Seungcheol with his clothes partially soiled with the blood he spilled from them.

"He's not capable of killing. You know that, hyung." Hansol lays a hand on Jihoon's shoulder.

"I'm scared that he's going to blame himself."

"Then make him understand." Jisoo kneels in front of him and smiles. "Out of everyone, you are the one that knows him best. And he'll always listen to you, Ji."

Jihoon nods and returns the smile. "Go to the others. Hansol, take Jisoo hyung with you. We'll join you later."

Hansol just shakes his head, although his lips are still curled upward. "If Seungcheol hyung wants to rest, then you join him. I get that we're all needed right now but hyung's well-being matters more."

Jihoon's mouth opens, and closes, and opens again to say something, but he just settles to grin and open his arms to Hansol. The younger crouches down to hug, and Jihoon presses a soft kiss on his cheeks as he tightens his arms around the younger's torso. "I'm so proud of the man you've become."

Hansol looks at him and cups his face. "I learned from the best hyungs." Hansol kisses him, this time, on his forehead. Jihoon just closes his eyes at the display of affection. Hansol stands up, and Jisoo kneels down to give Jihoon another hug and kiss to his cheeks.

"Take care of Cheol, Ji. We're going to head onwards, and end this war so that we can all go home." Jihoon nods, and Jisoo goes for another hug before he holds Hansol's hands, and they jump towards the younger's portals.

Jihoon looks back at Seungcheol's body, chest occasionally rising as he takes his breaths like he's just sleeping.

"Cheol, if you can hear me, please follow my voice." Jihoon holds Seungcheol's hands, and he slots his fingers on his hands empty spaces. Despite the difference in height, their hands are fairly equal in size. His empty hand finds its way around the messy fringes of hair that's spread on Seungcheol's forehead. It's almost unfair how good he still looks. Jihoon thinks it might be because he loves the man, but even in the past where his feelings were still dormant, Seungcheol looked handsome to him.

"Seungcheol…Choi Seungcheol…I can already see how hard you're fighting. Whatever's holding you back, I know you can pull through. You've always been the strongest among us. Even if we don't have all the powers we have right now, you are still the strongest."

Jihoon places his and Seungcheol's hands on his lips and kisses it. "I meant every word when I said that there could never be a better leader than you, because I could never afford to find another man that would treat me like you do. Well, actually, there's Chan…but he's already far away, so if I couldn't save him, then I have to save you. I can only handle so much, Cheol, so come back to me now. I don't know how I'll ever live without you by my side."

Jihoon kisses Seungcheol's forehead, his brows, his cheeks, his nose. Then, he hovers above his lips just as the first tear drops from his eyes. "I love you."

He kisses his lips, and light bursts from the older's chest. A keyhole appears on it, and a bright, beautiful key emerges slowly from Seungcheol's body. Jihoon looks at it, mouth dropped in awe and shock, and he holds it in his hands. The brightness recedes, and he can see the key clearly. The keyhole disappears from Seungcheol's chest, and Jihoon's world stops when he sees Seungcheol's eyes flutter open.

No words come up, no matter how much he wants Seungcheol to hear him. All he can manage is a tiny whimper as tears flood his eyes. He gasps, and takes in deep breaths as Seungcheol smiles and grips their hands tight.

It all came crashing down when they hugged, and Jihoon realized that they are both here, alive. Seungcheol is still with him, and he couldn't be happier. 

"I-I thought I'd lost you." He sobs as he holds Seungcheol in his arms, hands gripping at the damaged pauldrons of his armor. Seungcheol smiles, and he gently rubs his hands on Jihoon's back.

"You'll never lose me. It was your voice that woke me up. I followed it, Hoonie. I'd know your voice anywhere."

Jihoon broke from the hug and looked at Seungcheol with concern evident from his face. "D-do you remember anything?" 

Seungcheol nods. "I remember everything. I saw it happening. I was a bit conscious while I entered my second form, and it felt liberating to surrender…my body ached with revenge. But Light did something. He stabbed me in the chest but I don't know what he used. It helped me revert back to being a human but I couldn't wake up. Not until I heard you calling for me."

"How do you feel about it?" Jihoon can't hide the worry in his voice even if he tried. He just hopes that Seungcheol would try to listen to him, just in case Seungcheol starts doubting himself.

"I don't feel bad about it. I kinda feel relieved that I'm still able to hold that rage and drive to avenge Chan. I was scared that I'd grow numb due to everything that has happened. But being able to feel that rise in emotion just because I wanted to do something for him in return. I know Chan would not approve of it, but it reminded me that I'm still human. It made me realize that even though we live in this fantasy where we are warriors, we're still humans capable of emotions. That thought relieves me, so I don't feel bad."

Jihoon's lips tremble as happiness overwhelms him. He caresses Seungcheol's face, and he looks at him with utmost pride.

"Were you worried, Jihoon?" Seungcheol raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah. But you've come so far." Jihoon kisses him again on his lips. "If only Chan could see you. He'd be so proud."

"He can see us, Hoonie. Up there, he's gently helping us win this."

Jihoon wipes his tears, with the help of Seungcheol's hands and his whispers of reassurance. "So…Cheol. You up for another battle?"

Seungcheol just sighs. "Let's go." Seungcheol stands up and offers his hand to Jihoon. The smaller male smiles and takes it. When he retracts his hand, Seungcheol felt a weight on it. He looks and finds a white key.

"That key came out from your chest before you woke up. Maybe it's the reason why your powers suddenly stopped surging when Light stabbed you with it. But Kuja told us that Cosmos gave Light those keys to help unlock our second forms. It makes sense, because keys can lock and unlock, so maybe he used it to revert you before you get too drowned in your power."

Seungcheol holds the key, and it disappears from his hands with a spark of light. He can't see it but he can still feel it in his hands. He makes sure to use it wisely, if ever something really bad happens. "I don't have to worry. I have you to keep my head above water."

Jihoon giggles. "Damn right, you do." His body explodes in jade sparks as he grows exponentially large. Seungcheol watches Jihoon's dragon form emerge majestically in its full armor. Jihoon's green eyes look at him, and he holds his dragon arms for Seungcheol to climb.

"Y-you want me…to ride you into battle?" Seungcheol points at himself. Jihoon lets out a loud vibrating growl and the older just agrees and takes hold of the armor situated on the dragon's neck. "Fuck, this feels so epic!"

Seungcheol lets out a scream of excitement when Jihoon flies, parting the clouds with his wings.

* * *

Soonyoung watched everything happen in the span of a few minutes. He was sure that Minghao and him were close to dying. He landed badly and he broke his left wing, while Minghao got bombarded by an onslaught of electric sigils, trapping him in a paralyzed state as every nerve of him was fried.

Light intervened a few moments after. He protected them, and he held his own as Soonyoung gathered Minghao on his arms. The younger was still conscious, but his body was trembling and unable to move. Burns covered his skin, and Soonyoung used the momentary distraction Light had brought to the emperor as time to heal. But instead of healing his wings, he released his fires in gentle streams and he softly encased Minghao in it. He needed some healing as well, but Soonyoung could never get himself to be selfish.

However, it's as if God really favored their side as his teammates trickled in the fray one by one. Jeonghan appeared, with a storm of rose petals accompanying him. Soonyoung noticed how big his aura was compared to the usual, and he immediately smiled as he knew that Jeonghan's in his second form. Wonwoo was with him, and he helped fend off the enemy with his unpredictable metallic attacks.

Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Junhui followed next, and he was almost overwhelmed to witness Junhui and Seokmin flying, since they weren't originally able to. But with the immense aura they were emitting, Soonyoung realized that the two were in their second forms as well. They first went to him and Minghao, but they quickly moved to the battlefield to help instead. Seokmin stayed for a longer while, and showered Soonyoung with his irreplaceable love. Seokmin felt sorry that he couldn't heal his wings but the older just ushered him to go and fight. Jun took one look at Minghao inside Soonyoung's healing flames and he smiled in gratitude.

What happened next was even weirder, because Mingyu appeared with multiple weapons floating around him and he was with three Chaos warriors. The emperor laughed for a short while, thinking that he had some backup. But when the three started attacking him, Mateus fell into a rage and delivered deadlier attacks by every second. He opened the skies, and multiple meteors were suddenly summoned to rain down on them. Due to the immense amount of help in their side, some of the meteors were destroyed before it could connect to the ground.

Hansol and Jisoo entered the battle with grandiose. Multiple portals opened in the skies to redirect some of the meteors away from their comrades, and he could see the two sync themselves as they jump from one portal to another. Jisoo's light beams destroyed the meteors easily, merging his red, and orange beams while continuously flashing yellow blinding beams to the emperor to distract him. The others didn't bother to greet each other and just immediately helped destroy the meteors. Golbez casted a sealing barrier around Mateus, and the latter immediately freezes as his body reverts to his original form, shedding his wings and heavenly garb.

"YOU TRAITORS!" Mateus shouts, but he was immediately shut up when Jecht punches him in the face. It was immensely fueled with anger that Jecht's fists actually emitted an explosion as it connected to Mateus' jaw.

Jisoo glides towards Soonyoung, still not bothered to do any greetings and just proceeded to shower him and Minghao in green, healing light beams. Soonyoung inwardly grimaces as the bones in his left wing automatically connect themselves together, creating a sickening crunchy sound. But it feels good, and he fluttered his wings to test it out. Minghao healed fast with the help of Jisoo, and the latter woke him up with a bright flash from his yellow beams.

Soonyoung lets Jisoo reorient Minghao's mind since the younger was completely unconscious when everyone arrived. But he noticed that his two fellow leaders are nowhere to be seen. "Where's Seungcheol and Jihoon?" He asks to no one in particular, but Jisoo answers him.

"They're with each other. Cheol is still unconscious, and we let Jihoon stay with him. Don't worry."

Soonyoung nods. He notices their three unexpected allies guard Mateus, and Light gathers the warriors together. "How's everyone doing?"

"Pretty fine. Although I don't know what I'll do with this much power. It's kinda…I don't know, I feel uncomfortable." Jeonghan says with a slight smile as he plays with the rose petals around him.

"Based from your auras, only three of you are in their second forms, is that correct?"

"What!? Wait, who!?" Soonyoung asks, adrenaline taking over his body. Wonwoo, Mingyu and Minghao join him, while Hansol just stared at everyone. Jeonghan, Seokmin, and Junhui presented their abilities, and the clueless ones were all clapping like children at a party. 

Light continues. "I've given some keys to the others. Raise your hands if you haven't used your keys."

Seungkwan, and Jisoo raise their hands. Junhui butts in. "I gave Seungkwan my key because I accidentally triggered my second form so I didn't need it." Light just nodded. Everyone had a concept of what the keys did, except Soonyoung and Minghao who looked so lost during the entire exchange.

They explained everything, and the two just nodded in understanding. Light opens his hands and calls to the remaining keys in his arsenal. He gives it to Wonwoo, Mingyu, Hansol, Minghao, and Soonyoung. There were still two keys left with him, the other one for Jihoon, and the remaining was supposed to be for Seungkwan, but Junhui already gave him his. "Hold on to it. Cosmos wasn't with us in this fight, but she made sure that we would prevail with the help of these keys that she willingly gave."

Mateus cackles, his breath wheezing out of his mouth as his laughter slowly descends to unhinged. "You haven't won, you insects! This game is far from over!"

Kuja slaps him, "Shut that trap of yours."

Mateus laughs again, louder this time. Jecht prepares to backhand him, but Mateus breaks out of Golbez' paralysis and holds Jecht's arms before it could hit him. A foreign energy comes from Mateus' body, and the same energy also trickles out of Golbez, Kuja, and Jecht's body. The black and red swirl of force crumples their bodies to the ground, and before Cosmos' warriors can do anything, their allies were already reduced to mere specks of energy. Mateus stands before them, his skin slowly cracking with the immense amount of power seeping around him. 

"Chaos dissected his power, his own flesh, and merged it with ours. It is true that you have bested the warriors of Chaos..."

Light looks with panic as Mateus' face melts. He knows where this is leading. "Everyone, get away!" 

Mateus grins, his voice and face getting distorted with every passing second. "...but now, discord is here. Chaos himself, will fight!"

He explodes with all the energy of the killed warriors. Then from the crevices of the earth, magma rises like an aggressive river of death. The remaining warriors fly backwards, retreating safely. The magma grows bigger and bigger, continuously building height until it forms two noticeable shapes of horns. The magma gained a face, it had arms, and wings.

Chaos came, and he's in his god form.

* * *

_** Accelerando**: Feral Discord _

* * *

Light ushers the rest of the warriors to stand back, while he gathers his own aura and sucks it inside his body, concentrating every particle of light dwelling inside him until it bursts. His second form resurfaces, and his sword transforms to a humongous saber.

"Hansol, come with me." He motions for the younger to come beside him, and he obeys immediately. "Everyone, gather by units! All swordsmen, huddle together on the cliffs! Mages, hide in the clouds! Conceal yourselves for a moment while Hansol and I devise a plan!" 

Soonyoung steps up to ask the questions since the two leaders are still nowhere to be found. "Wait, are you sure Hansol's the only one you need?"

Light nods, his aura swaying with every movement of his body. "Hansol has the biggest reservoir of power among you because he doesn't deal with offense and defense, therefore, his power isn't depleted gradually unlike the lot of you. I'm going to expand our team's resistance. Hansol and I will lead the first strike. If a portal appears in your hiding places, then that means that we need your help. Jump immediately and most important of all, USE THE KEYS. This is Chaos we're talking about, all of your second forms will be needed!" Light doesn't miss a beat as he swipes his saber and sends multiple blade beams that shatter the flaming boulders that Chaos is throwing.

"Remember those! Now hide!" The others leave, and Seungkwan gives Hansol a tight hug before he flies with the mages. Light and the younger male stand before Chaos in all of his might. Hansol takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to calm himself down. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't scared.

"This is it. The last hurdle. After this, we can go home." He whispers to himself, and he grips the key in his hands.

"Are you prepared?" Light says beside him. The warrior summons shield and swords of light. Hansol doesn't bother counting because his eyes are fixated on Chaos, who's roaring at them.

"Nope!" That's what he says before he plunges the key in his chest and his aura explodes in a huge amethyst pillar of light. Hansol screams, but he doesn't feel pain. He's just overwhelmed of being able to access such great amounts of power.

* * *

_ Fifth Movement: The Time-Space Liegeman _

* * *

Hansol and Light dash forward, their feet running in a strange synchronization as they evade and dodge Chaos' attacks swiftly. The god roar, and blazing lasers fire at them from all sides. Light conjures a huge shell of light, and he refracts the lasers back to Chaos' body. Hansol feels an immense surge of power pooling on his fingertips, and he tries reaching his hands out towards the slabs of molten rock hurtling towards them.

When he touches it, the rocks get halved cleanly. Light and him were unscathed, and he tries creating a dagger, but he can see the fabric of time ripping beneath his hands. He slams the ground, and he slices it with a wave of amethyst energy. Chaos evades it, but his left horn gets caught in it and the god lets out an inhuman shriek.

"Shit, I made him angry." 

"Good!" Light jumps and strikes the slabs of earth that Chaos is continuously raining down towards them. His swords attack from each side, and Hansol utilizes his new powers to deliver short bursts of power that slices through any matter. He opens a portal under an ocean and redirects the stream of water pouring from it towards Chaos, who is surprisingly not affected by it. But he was distracted, so Hansol brings his hands down and slices Chaos' left hand. Chaos lets out a shriek, and Hansol attacks once more, summoning a black hole from the depths of space. It eats half of Chaos' face. Hansol flies backwards as an arm extends from the god's chest and punches him hard. Hansol quickly recovers, and he watches for a bit as Light overwhelms Chaos with concussive beams coming from his saber.

Hansol releases an amethyst wave that tears holes on Chaos' body. While distracted, Hansol opens both hands and creates two portals where Mingyu and Wonwoo come out. Their auras explode as they use the keys.

Light turns back at him while fending Chaos' elongated arms fighting him. "You called them in already!?"

"It's just two of them!" Hansol smiles, and he stands back as Mingyu and Wonwoo emerge in their second forms.

* * *

_ Sixth Movement: _

_ The Paragon and Assassin of Million Blades _

* * *

Wonwoo has wings, metallic wings with small steel blades serving as the feathers. He grunts as he throws Mingyu up to the sky. The latter roars as he decorates the sky with countless blades. He dives down and commands the weapons to rain down towards Chaos. He summons streams of spears and lancets, each weapon getting bigger and longer than the other. Wonwoo fortifies the barrage when sharp spikes of metal extend through his body. Some are coming from his wings, the others coming from his limbs. They are sloppy, but they attack with haste and succession. Chaos' body is hit consecutively, and Wonwoo raises his arms to raise bars of metal from where the god stood, stabbing him from his torso, to his neck.

Chaos just roars with anger and slowly melts the multitudes of metal piercing his huge body. Light and Hansol use their powers to sever both of Chaos' arms successfully to prevent him from attacking. But the god is capable of regenerating, and new pair of limbs extend from his shoulders. 

"Call the mages now! We'll sever his arms!" Light commanded Hansol. Mingyu and Wonwoi joined the warrior in the front lines to help fend off the onslaught of the demonic god. Hansol lets out two amethyst beams that slices Chaos' body in half. He knows that he'll be able to attach his body together later, but he'll also need time to completely sew his parts together. The three swordsmen are already on the process of mincing his body parts, so Hansol creates a bigger portal, and the seven mages fly out towards the battlefield. Jeonghan, and Seokmin charge first, buying some time for Seungkwan, Minghao, Jisoo and Soonyoung to use their keys and transform. Junhui transforms into Leviathan and he snakes around the lava harmlessly as he releases tides of waves towards Chaos, tipping him over the edge. Jeonghan's rose petals transform to orbs of hot energy and he attacks Chaos with it, piercing the magma. Seokmin releases a steady stream of ice to weaken Chaos' body parts. He turns it brittle, and the swordsmen swoop in simultaneously to break the god bit by bit.

When the four mages finish transforming, the scales of war seem to tip in their side.

* * *

_Seventh Movement:_

_Dance of the Titans_

* * *

Soonyoung's second form is a phoenix. His wings burn bright with flames and he douses Chaos with it. Each strike explodes massively, turning the stricken area into ashes.

Minghao's second form is a sky dragon. It had no wings, like Junhui's leviathan form. He slithers through the skies and summons gales and tornadoes to strike Chaos.

The three elemental titans encircle Chaos, and they return each strike with pure, raw anger and fervid desire to kill.

Seungkwan and Jisoo both maintained their human forms, but even they had such powerful aura that they are actually on par with the elemental titans. Jisoo's body glows with multicolored auroras, and Seungkwan's armor and body became a conduit for lightning. 

The younger bellows, releasing a sonic scream that opens a gaping hole through Chaos' chest. He takes notice of the huge slabs of metal that Wonwoo stabbed through the god's body, so he calls forth to nature and summon countless lightnings. The metal cages the shock around Chaos, and he's stuck inside as his body convulses in immense electric shock. 

Jisoo releases green auroras towards his teammates, instantly healing their wounds. He uses the other hand to release violet auroras which gnaws at the magma encasing Chaos' form. It wilts and turns black, the poison too powerful for his body.

Chaos' eyes glow with annoyance, but before he could attack, once again, a particular pair has arrived in the battlefield to help win the war.

* * *

_ Eighth Movement: Unison _

* * *

Seungcheol lands to the ground and blasts Chaos with a steady stream of dark magic. Jihoon lands next to him, his humongous dragon form surprising everyone. They stared at him with awe, and he roars as jade fire comes out of his mouth, directed at Chaos.

"Is that…Jihoon?" Hansol asks. Mingyu and Wonwoo hears him, but they don't answer. They just stare in awe because Jihoon never really used his dragon form. He looks majestic and powerful. 

Soonyoung screeches, and he joins his two leaders to summon a stream of flames to attack Chaos. Light notices that Chaos is trying to fight back, so he screams to the others.

"Attack now!" He stabs his saber to the ground and releases a wave of light towards Chaos. Mingyu and Wonwoo give their all and piles all their weapons to Chaos' body. Hansol uses his beams and fires it at the god. Jeonghan guides the rose petals towards him, each petal incinerating the surface beneath them. Jisoo concentrates his auroras into one beam and attacks him with all of his powers. Seokmin summons hails of icicles, and Seungkwan accompanies it with a sonic lightning barrage. 

Minghao and Junhui combine their attacks, summoning jets of water with hellish speeds. Minghao uses his winds to make the waters spiral until it drills to the surface of Chaos' shell.

In that moment, they were all united. They were all standing for a cause, and they were all fighting to stop this pointless conflict for eternity. The 12 of them, together with Light, they felt the connection in their hearts, and they knew that they were going to win.

Chaos roars, and he lets out a huge explosion that shakes the earth around them. The warriors are hit one by one, and they all revert back to their human forms (except Seungcheol and Jihoon, who were already in their human forms). They stumble to the ground, and for a while, they were relieved that their attack worked.

But as the dust and smoke faded from their view, Chaos is still alive and standing. Sure, it's impossible that he's unscathed, and his magma shell is barely holding on. But his attack negated everyone's auras, resetting the power levels back to their normal states.

Light's eyes widen, and he trembles in fear. Seungcheol notices it and he crawls towards the warrior. "Light! Light, what happened!? I know that Jihoon and I were late, and we both know we missed a lot of things but in that moment…we were winning! What happened!?" 

"I…I don't know."

They all look up at the looming figure of Chaos, towering over them and grinning. He holds his hands out, and Seungcheol's breath hitches when he feels a strange power washing over his body. He couldn't move, and neither can Light or his other members. They are paralyzed in place by Chaos, and the god uses his one mangled hand to charge his power and prepare for the final strike.

They were about to win, but it's all too good to be true.

A trembling finger ghosts over his, and he moves his eyes to glance at Jihoon, who was reaching for his hands in the face of death. Seungcheol tries to move his hands. If they're dying here, he'd want to pass on while holding Jihoon. 

The others stay rooted in their position, face unmoving but tears falling at the loss of victory. It was right there, so close, but still far nonetheless.

Chaos pulls his mangled arm backwards, but he abruptly stops. He looks down at the hole in his chest, to see that a big spike of diamond was protruding from it.

Another spike of the same substance sprouts from the earth, piercing his arms and dropping his hold on the warriors of Cosmos. Seungcheol quickly hugs Jihoon, who clings to him just as tight. The rest scramble to hug the others, keeping a sliver of hope in their hearts.

The sky above them opens, and clouds part to make way for a falling figure covered in blinding light. Light shields his eyes from it, and a strong gust of wind blows as the light lands to the ground. Chaos is thrown back as the ground quakes with massive intensity, and this scene looks eerily familiar for the god of discord.

* * *

_Final Movement: Messiah_

* * *

He senses that same aura, that very power that he tried to coax. He wails in anguish, and his rage rises even more, but his feelings are not pure because there's an immense amount of fear sharing it. He cries in pain when the ground opens and towers of diamond pierce him from the side. 

Light squints his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, but he senses something very nostalgic in it. It's like a memory has been taken and directly being shown to him. He can't pinpoint it, but the blinding light emits a strong surging power.

The others block their eyes using their hands and arms as the light grows brighter for a moment, before it gradually starts fading. A figure lies floating in their front, serving as an intervention between the god of discord and the warriors of Cosmos.

Once Chaos sees the newcomer's hovering body, he roars in acknowledgement. He's threatened, and he embraces this challenger even though his body parts are beyond repair.

Light puts a hand on his mouth to suppress a gasp. Tears fall hard from his eyes, but it's nothing compared to what his soldiers are feeling.

Soonyoung is the first to wail, his voice whimpering as he takes deep breaths. Seokmin stands beside him and he's also crying. They're not bothered by how loud they sound, because Mingyu and Hansol were the same. They are crouched on the ground, stuck between intense relief and utter rejection of what they are seeing. Broken sobs rock Wonwoo's body as he holds Mingyu, and Seungkwan has both of his hands on his face, covering it as his knees wobble.

Jeonghan lies wailing on Jisoo's arms, and the latter lets out the same noises, eyes full of tears and fixated on the figure in front of them.

"Hyung…h-hyung you're seeing this…r-right?" Minghao's voice rises in pitch and each syllable gets broken with sharp intakes of breath. Junhui held onto his side, unable to look without hiccuping and choking in his snot and tears. Jihoon lets out a choked sob, one that's been held for so many nights. Seungcheol braves the storm of his emotions. With one hand holding Jihoon's, he tried to suppress his tears. He walks forward, legs shivering as he reaches out to touch what's in front of him.

He knows that jet black hair. Even with his back facing Seungcheol, he'll know who it is. It is impossible for him to be standing, but as he turns back and faces the warriors of Cosmos, Seungcheol's body shivers as tears automatically rain downwards. He freezes in his place, and he struggled to say the name he's been wanting to say again.

He's the face that they've been longing for. 

He's the boy that they missed. 

He's child that they failed. 

He's also the man that they all love.

"Chan?" 

"I'm here, hyung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3/4
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter 💖💖! Sorry if it's too long 😞😞


	20. Battle of the Bleeding Gorge: The Final Act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the war slowly reaches a halt, the warriors of Cosmos deal with the resurrection of a loved one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY VERY SHORT CHAPTER COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS ONE but I chose to upload this because the war officially ends here!

They can all smell the burned dirt mixed with the faint coppery showers of blood hanging around the gorge. It is filthy, and it suits the slow shaking of the ground as Chaos' moves closer, his figure getting bigger. 

They all know the impending doom that may befall them, but they choose to ignore it.

Chan is the only thing that's invading their senses.

He looks immaculate in his warrior clothes, a mystic combination of swordsman armor and mage garb. His face is as beautiful as ever, and his perfect smile and teeth are always on display. One would question how things occurred in a phenomena of this sort, but the thirteen men in front of Chan were only producing tears. None could comprehend how miraculous it happened.

Chan whispers. "It's okay." He gives them all a smile before he walks towards the raging god, taking him on a duel. He jumps high and summons blocks of diamonds that he uses to strike Chaos' face. The god roars in anger, and spews a steady stream of lava from his mouth, but Chan's aura surges and he creates a huge wall of earth and diamonds. He motions for the huge wall to form a circle using his hands, and the ground rumbles as the youngest traps Chaos in it. 

The demonic god thrashes around, punching and using his whole body to break the wall, but diamond is sturdier than rock so his punches remain futile. Chan roars back and he slams his fists together, forming intricate hand signs that summons 13 diamond pillars around Chaos.

Light jumps out of his stupor as the pillars emit the insignia of Cosmos. He reaches for the nearest member, which is Seungcheol, and he shakes him out of his momentary trance too. "Seungcheol! Seungcheol, snap out of it!" 

"C-Chan…he-he's alive!"

"I know! But he needs our help!" Light looks at the others to find them all out of their sorts. Chan is doing something that only Cosmos can do, and without them, it cannot be done.

"I know this is all too much for you. Believe me, I'm feeling the same thing! But Chan needs us right now! Chan can only hold him for so long before Chaos breaks out of it!" 

Luckily, it seems to take Seungcheol out of his tunnel vision and he looks at Light. "W-what?" 

"Chan is going to seal Chaos! But in order for him to succeed, he needs us. He needs you and your members!" 

Seungcheol looks towards Chan who is floating up in level of Chaos' face. It's as if their youngest member is taunting the god to put up a fight. They've been fighting Chaos for almost hours now and they only damaged it to an extent, but Chan just arrived and he's already about to defeat him all by himself. 

However, it's not the case. Even though Chan is the most powerful, he still needs their help. Seungcheol stands on his two feet and he helps Jihoon stand, too. Light manages to gather most of them, and Seungcheol deals with the members who are sensitively emotional as of the moment.

"We don't know how it happened, but no matter how impossible, Chan is alive now. And he needs our help. We're one step closer to victory, and this time, we'll win with Chan, okay?"

Light looks at all of them, smiling at the unity and bravery of his soldiers.

Chan screams and almost everyone panics at the sound. "Guys, little help here!" He grits his teeth as he quakes the ground where Chaos is standing. He gets eaten by the ground, and Chan drops more spiky blocks of diamond into Chaos. He smirks when the god releases a demonic scream of agony.

The remaining warriors go towards Chan. The latter senses that his friends are nearing so he lets himself down on the ground.

"We're here. What do you need?" Light asks. Chan could almost cry at how much he missed everyone, and hearing their voices again is making him feel emotional. But he hardens his determination and focuses on the task at hand. Celebration can come later.

"I'm going to seal Chaos. You see those 13 pillars around him?" Chan points towards the towers emitting an insignia. "All of you need to stand there. One person each. Once you're all on position, you all need to attack Chaos. Empty your powers on him, and I'll do the rest!" 

Light nods, "Everyone that can fly, help those who can't!" He proceeds forward, and Soonyoung carries him upwards.

Chan was about to leave and do his job when a hand lands on his shoulders. He turns back to see Hansol looking at him, eyes already glistening with unshed tears. He opens his mouth, but Chan beats him by a millisecond as he holds Hansol.

"Go on. I'm not leaving this time."

Hansol accepts the answer, and he just nods, before he creates a dagger and throws it on the floor. "See you later." Hansol jumps on the portal, and it closes immediately.

Chan stomps his feet, and another pillar sprouts underneath him, carrying him up among his friends. The circle is complete, and the clouds above Chaos burst with light. It slowly swirls, until the insignia also appears on it.

Chaos is under a panic, and he thrashes wilder than before, attempting to break the diamonds holding him in his place. Chan closes his fist and he fills Chaos' mouth with diamonds.

"Everyone, hit him!" He screams, and they all strike one by one, pouring all of the remaining power inside their bodies. Chan closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, his voice and aura changes completely, as if a god has possessed him. He then proceeds to speak the sealing rite. 

"We, the warriors of Cosmos, commence a sealing ritual to you, Chaos, the god of discord. In order to cease this cycle of strife, we declare dominion over you!" Chan looks at his fellow warriors. These are the little group he's spent his childhood and adolescence with.

In that moment, Chan decides that he wants to spend his lifetime with them. 

"Soldiers! Say your names and follow after me!" Chan goes first. "I am Lee Chan, bearer of the earth!" The rest follow him one by one.

"I am Light, bearer of harmony!" 

"I am Choi Seungcheol, bearer of darkness!" 

"I am Yoon Jeonghan, bearer of mimicry!" 

"I am Hong Jisoo, bearer of the seven lights!" 

"I am Wen Junhui, bearer of the oceans!" 

"I am Kwon Soonyoung, bearer of fire!" 

"I am Jeon Wonwoo, bearer of metal!" 

"I am Lee Jihoon, bearer of metamorphosis!"

"I am Xu Minghao, bearer of the skies!" 

"I am Kim Mingyu, bearer of weapons!" 

"I am Lee Seokmin, bearer of ice!" 

"I am Boo Seungkwan, bearer of thunder and lightning!"

"I am Chwe Hansol, bearer of portals!"

Their powers spike and pierce through Chaos' chest, and the insignias of the pillars appear, spiraling above Chaos.

Chan emits shockwaves from his palm, and his eyes turn to white, giving Chaos shivers from his menacing stare. The source of the shockwaves latches itself inside Chaos, and his body slowly crumbles from the inside as the shockwaves pulverizes him intimately. 

"By edict of The Great Will, we, the warriors of Cosmos, banish you!"

Streaks of light burst forth from Chaos' chest and his screams drown as their power swallows him. The insignias swirl faster until it turns into a white whirl of energies and it strikes downwards, dragging Chaos through the depths of the grounds. The broken ground rearranges itself, and it takes down the wall that Chan raised and uses parts of it as the earth slowly returns to its normal state.

The clouds close, the insignias disappear, and Chan slowly lowers the pillars so that they can all go down safely. One by one, they all went descended, and inspected Chaos' sealing ground, where a noticeable symbol of Cosmos can be seen engraved in its diamond surface.

Light exhales the breath that he's been holding since earlier. "It's finally done." He looks at all of his trained warriors with utmost adoration and respect. "The battle has come to an end."

* * *

** _Ritardando:_ ** _ Harmony Prevails_

* * *

The news bring smiles to their faces, and they all share hugs in their well-deserved respite. Light gathers them into his arms. "You have all done an admirable job." He pauses when he notices that Chan was standing a few feet away from them, smiling bashfully while watching the commotion.

The other members notice Light's sudden halt of movements, and they all turn to where he's looking. Chan shifts awkwardly, and he becomes incredibly shy. His gaze falls to the ground and he fidgets unnaturally with his hands. It's like his warrior and god-like persona is just a shell that hid his true self which is a boy seeking to be loved by those he treasures the most.

Hansol is the first one to break away from the group, and he tries reaching for Chan. The latter just looks at him and smiles sheepishly, but it fades as quickly as it came and his smiles give way to his longing. His lower lip slightly trembles, and he just looks at Hansol for approval.

"Come here." 

Two words were all it took for Chan to cry. His body collides with Hansol's and they both sob on each other's shoulders. The rest of their members surround Chan and they all took turns in reuniting with their beloved man. Light also hugged him, and the younger male also clinged to him just as tight. These people are his, just like he is theirs. He knows that he died. He heard every whisper and declaration of love and mourning, and it hurt not being there physically to relieve the pain inside his loved ones' hearts.

"I-I really…m-missed…" Chan hiccups and struggles to form words as his tears fall harder everytime he makes eye contact with one of his members. They are all crying, and everyone's equally overjoyed. Jeonghan wipes Chan's eyes and shushes him. "It's okay, baby. We missed you, too. Very very much." Chan leans towards Jeonghan's touch, and the others all pet him with caresses of their hands. Some of his members are hugging him, and a few were peppering soft kisses on his nape and head.

He chokes out another sob as he speaks, and this time, he's determined to complete his message.

"I...I l-love you." His eyes dart to all of his members. "I love you all...so m-much." 

He gets drowned in affection, and his members just respond with a brief "We love you too" as they proceed to cocoon Chan in their touches.

All is well. The war is over.

Chan has finally come home.

* * *

_ **Coda: ** _ _End of the 14th Conflict_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4/4 FINALLYYYYY
> 
> Explanations about what happened to our lovely maknae will all be displayed on the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this!


	21. Hold My Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourteen warriors finally get the rest they deserve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Dolansfanboy1!

Light opens a gateway to Order's Sanctuary on his left. He guides the boys one by one through it, although he had to force them to get away from Chan for a bit so they can proceed. As they enter, their surroundings fade to white and the earth beneath them transforms to the sanctuary's waters. One would think that they are probably used to the view by this time, but they are still in awe of its beauty.

Not having to worry about any bloodshed delivers a sense of tranquility in each of their bodies. They are now completely free and at rest.

The clouds above Cosmos' throne opens and light showers down from it. The air swirls and pack themselves together until they form a body. Cosmos appears in his original form, and he greets the warriors with silence, refined grace and holiness serving as her words.

They all fall to their knees and bow at the mighty presence before them, showing immense respect. Light places his fist on his chest and returns the greeting. "Goddess of harmony, I bring triumphant news."

Cosmos waves a hand to him, telling Light to stay silent. She speaks, and her voice reverberates around the sanctuary. "** _I already know that you will all prevail before the war even took place. However, I want to address an issue…_ **"

"Go ahead, my Lady." 

Cosmos focuses her gaze on Chan, and the boy could feel it even though he's not looking. He stands up, the eyes of his companions following him as his figure goes toward the goddess.

Cosmos smiles. "** _I surmise that everyone already discovered my gift?_ **" 

The 13 warriors in front of them reflected puzzled looks toward each other, and Chan only smiled at them. "Cosmos was the one who resurrected me."

The puzzled looks turned into confusion, then realization, and finally, smiles covered their mouths and they express all of their gratitudes to the woman who saved their youngest member from death.

Cosmos gestures for them to stop. "** _However, no good deed goes unpunished. I interrupted the flow of the natural order, and thus, I have endangered the existence of this world and my life itself. Cid told me of all the consequences that might branch from this stem in time, and thus, why I couldn't participate in the war. In order for Chan to live again, I sacrificed a portion of my power and life stream. Cid made a manikin from the shell of his former self, and I used his ring to fuse my life inside it._ **"

Seungcheol stands up to ask something. "But how did he regain his memories?" 

"** _If you remember, your rings bond with your souls, and that's the reason why you have powers. Chan's ring was the key to having his complete self back, because his ring remembers all the memories that he made during his time here. By remembering that, it became easier for him to understand his existence as a human and as a resurrected being._ **"

Light nods, but he delivers another question. "Pardon me, my Lady, but what will happen to the world and you?" 

"** _This world is now moving towards its end as we speak. Reversing time takes an enormous amount of energy. Cid did that and he siphoned almost all of this world's energy to gather Chan's body. I apologize to you, Light, my brave warrior. Not only did I subject you to perilous quests, but I have also endangered your life by doing this. However, I hope you all understand. Chaos was so desperate to win, he would do anything, and in return, I became desperate too. Chan's death brought sorrow and anger to me. I just couldn't stand by, and neither did Cid. Too many laws have been broken in this cycle. Thus, the world is now teetering on the verge of annihilation._ **"

Chan looks up to the goddess. "How many days do we have left, Cosmos?" 

"** _Three days, my warrior. That much is left to be exhausted of this realm's life. If you want to go home now, I can all send you back to Earth._ **" 

Jisoo looks at Light, and he notices the bittersweet plethora of emotions that flashes from his face. "What about you and…Light?"

The goddess smiles upon them. "** _This is our home. We have nowhere else to go._ **" 

Light only returns the same crestfallen smile at the 13 boys. "It's been an honor, fighting with such wonderful people." 

Jeonghan raises a suggestion, his voice slightly rising in tension. "You can both go to Earth with us! There's lot of space in our world!"

Light just shakes his head. "We can't." 

Cosmos adds. "** _Only Cid can travel to worlds. That is why he's the one you met back there. Light and I are bound to this realm because this is where we were born. If we join you on Earth, we will die either way._ **"

"No. No more dying, okay!? There must be another way!" Chan's breathing rises, flashbacks of his death running rampant in his mind. 

Light holds his hands to calm him down. Chan locks eyes with him. "Come with us…I'm begging you." 

"I want to." Light answered back, laying a gentle touch on Chan's cheeks. The younger male leans to the touch and he wipes the stray tear that drops from Light's eyes. "You have no idea how much I want to leave and have a life with everyone..." 

The members can't believe what they're hearing. It's bad enough that they're all in love with each other, but even Light, a warrior from another world, has fallen for them too.

"I know you don't deserve someone like me. But I can't lie. I…I've grown too attached to everyone. You all don't have to accept my feelings. I just want everyone to be safe." 

"What about our feelings, Light!?" Chan sobs. "Through all the times that I needed someone, you were there. You've always cared for us! Won't you let us take care of you, this time?"

Seungcheol looks at Jihoon, then at Soonyoung. The three leaders nod at each other, seeming to understand their messages while not uttering a single word. They walk towards Light, and they carefully extend their hands towards him. Soonyoung and Jihoon hug the warrior, Seungcheol tugs Chan towards them and they join the hug. He motions for the others to come and they shower Light with their gratitude and love.

Seungcheol, as the leader, speaks to him first. "If you really can't leave, then we'll stay instead. We can go home another day. Just…let us spend few more days in this world with you." 

Jihoon looks towards Light. "After everything that you did for us, it's impossible not to accept your feelings. We've grown attached to you, too." 

"We don't want you and Cosmos to die." Soonyoung whispers, his face tucked in the crook of Light's neck. "But we can worry about it when it comes. Now, there's just us, and I want to focus on that."

Chan speaks, his voice muffled on Light's chest. "I love you." The sentence triggers a domino effect with the others, and they state their feelings to the man who's at the center of their touches.

Cosmos smiles at her warriors. "** _You can join them, Light. Go and spend the following days with your loved ones before they depart._ **"

"But what about you, my Lady?" 

"** _I'll be fine. Is there anything that you all wish to have before you leave? I can grant whatever, since you've all helped me. However, I can't grant anything that will break the natural law._ **" 

Seungcheol answers, sniffing occasionally. "It's okay, Cosmos." He looks at his members and Light hugging each other and smiles fondly. "We have everything we need right here." 

"** _Very well. Now go forth and rest._ **" 

She opens a gateway to lead them out, and they all go towards it. However, before Seungcheol could enter it, he stops and turns around. He briskly walk towards the goddess, who spares a questioning look. 

"** _Changed your mind?_ **" 

Seungcheol smiles. "On second thought, I might have a little request." 

* * *

Everyone, to say the least, was surprised to find their individual tents gone and replaced with a larger one that's big enough to contain all of them. Actually, they all went inside it and found all of their belongings inside. There's also a considerable amount of blankets, comforters, and pillows inside to keep them company for their remaining days. Even with so many people at once, there's still lots of remaining space. 

Jeonghan gives Seungcheol a quizzical look, and the latter is almost terrified of the younger's sixth sense in these things. "I must say, this is surprising." 

Seungcheol smiles and lays an arm on Jeonghan's waist. "I figured that it might be better if we were to…you know…sleep as one group? In that way, we can be with everyone, and after everything that happened I really can't sleep by myself anymore." 

"Aww, is the baby in need of cuddles and lullabies?" Jihoon comes up behind them and chooses to give Jeonghan a backhug while teasing his boyfriend. Jeonghan holds Jihoon's arms and he giggles. "Maybe Seungcheol wants us to build a pillow fort for him."

"What if I do want those things?" Seungcheol teasingly licks his lips and gives the two a teasing gaze. "Will you be able to satisfy this baby's needs?"

Jihoon shoves Seungcheol on his face and fakes being disgusted. They all laugh and tease each other, and the remaining people inside the tent smile at the sight.

"Hey guys, I'm kinda starving." Mingyu pouts as he rubs circles on his tummy.

Wonwoo hums beside him and gives the younger a soft nibble on the shoulder. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a person." 

Seungkwan snorts. "More like you're so horny, you could almost eat Mingyu."

The rest laugh, even Mingyu and Wonwoo, and it's almost scary how comfortable they are with those types of jokes. No one even blushed or bothered to be clueless anymore, and strangely, they all liked that.

Seungcheol stands up and goes towards Light. "Hey, Light? Come and help me with the food."

Light nods and follows, but Chan heard their conversation. "Wait, there's food?" 

Hansol hears him and his head automatically snaps towards the mere mention of food. "I heard food, are we going to eat?" 

Seungcheol nods. "I asked Cosmos for rations. She gave me everything. We have enough meat and ingredients to make enough food for the following days. Judging from what we gained, we can cook samgyupsal for tonight and some tteokguk for tomorrow morning." He smiles at the cheering that follows, all their members excited to eat all of their favorites. Seungcheol adds, "We also have beers, sodas, and some juice. Don't worry, I also asked for a cooler so we can stash the drinks in one place. Seokmin can take care of the ice." 

Chan looks at Seungcheol, and the latter can almost see his eyes turning to hearts. "You really thought this through, haven't you?" 

Seungcheol kneels and pats the younger's head before giving it a kiss. "Of course. I'd do anything for us. Especially you."

Chan touches the skin where he kissed him, and he holds Seungcheol's hand. "I love you, hyung." 

"I love you, too." Seungcheol helps Chan stand up. "Now come, the meat isn't going to cook itself." 

Junhui sidles beside them. "But do we have cooking materials?" 

Seungcheol looks at him confidently. "Yes, we do. We only need pans and fire, right?" 

Jun nods.

"And what are cooking pans usually made of?" 

"I don't know…steel?"

"Do you know where steel comes from, Junnie?" 

Jun looks up for a moment as he thinks. "Metal?" 

Seungcheol clicks his tongue. "Bingo!" 

The young man stares at Seungcheol as he goes out the tent. "But where's the cooking materials? And how can we have fire? Did you also request a stove?"

Minghao snorts beside him. "Jun-ge, you are so cluelessly stupid, it's almost cute."

Jun only widens his eyes in mild offense. "Why? I'm asking the important questions here!"

Minghao rolls his eyes. "Hyung, we literally have two people here who can create metal out of thin air and spew fire from his hands." 

Jun stops in his tracks. "Oh…"

* * *

After eating, Chan volunteered to do the dishes. Of course, they all disagreed at first and asked Chan to rest, but it's funny how they all let him do what he wants as soon as he trembles his lower lip and mimics a sad look. They are all dancing in Chan's palms. 

Jun helped him because of his powers, and Light also wanted to help so that he can learn about washing dishes.

"It's so surreal, really. You have never washed a plate in your whole life?" Chan speaks beside him. He's sandwiched in the middle, with Jun on his left and the warrior on his right.

"I thought you'd be more surprised at the fact that tonight's the first time I've eaten samgyupsal and used chopsticks." Light smiles back. 

"Oh, you have to look forward for tomorrow, then. We can teach you how to cook tteokguk! I swear, you're going to be so amazed." Jun happily rambles about korean food and the two beside him just listen happily while adding their own comments.

After an hour or so, they have already finished cleaning everything and proceeded to take a bath on one of the cubicles Wonwoo created. Their powers are conveniently useful for these activities.

Light was the last to take a bath, and he borrowed some clothes from Mingyu, who's the closest to his build. Even though the younger is buff, Light is far more built than him, hence, the sweatshirt and trousers that Mingyu lent him are a bit tighter than it usually looks.

He receives whistles of appreciation from the 13 men when he enters the tent in casual clothes. They've never seen him outside his armor, and he's literally radiating huge boyfriend vibes with his hair beautifully wrapped in ponytail.

"Ooh, look at this celebrity right here." Soonyoung nudges Light with his elbows as the latter slowly settles himself between Soonyoung and Chan. As expected, they put the youngest in the middle, and the rest just figured that they sleep in a huge huddle. Seungcheol suddenly stands up and reaches for something on the tent's ceiling.

"Cheol, come back hereee…" Jihoon grumbles, slowly falling asleep. 

"Just a second, Hoonie." Seungcheol finally detaches the cloth from the hook and he lets it down, revealing a transparent ceiling that lets them sleep under the astounding view of the night sky. The members gasp at the beauty of the stars above them, and they all tease their leader, who shyly slips back to his position beside Jihoon.

They stare at the night sky for hours, just talking about their love for each other. However, Jun breaks the comfortable layer of serenity and addresses Soonyoung who's slowly falling asleep.

"Soonie?"

"Hmm?"

Junhui bites his lips, and looks at Seokmin. "I hope you won't be mad, but I apologize. I think I was too careless." 

"What are you saying, ge?" Minghao speaks beside him, arms and legs latched on Junhui's body.

"During the war, Seokmin nearly died. If it weren't for Light, he could've been dead."

Seokmin sighs. "That's not your fault, hyung. You have nothing to apologize for."

Jun shakes his head. "I'm not only seeking forgiveness for that. It's already bad that I didn't take good care of Seokmin like what Soonyoung asked me to do. I also…kissed him."

Junhui panics at the silence that met him. "I-I didn't know. I was just so happy and…relieved. I couldn't think of anything to do during that moment other than to express how much I care for him and how much I wanted him to live."

"So you kissed him…on the lips?" Minghao asks beside him.

"Yes."

Soonyoung just hums and shifts in his sleep. "Next time, kiss me too, Junnie."

And just like that, Soonyoung is already snoring.

"W-what…" Junhui finds himself unable to render his sentences. Minghao giggles beside him, and it triggers the others to laugh silently at what just transpired in front of them.

Seokmin slapped Junhui's shoulders. "I told you, you didn't have to worry."

Junhui is confused, to say the least. "B-but…what about you, Haohao? Are you not mad?" 

Minghao grimaces. "Why would I? Well, on second thought, it kinda pisses me off that you still haven't kissed me after the war. Heck, you didn't even kiss me before it started." 

Junhui just smiles and leans in to give Minghao a few pecks on his lips.

"Oh my gosh, get a fucking room." A pillow lands on both of their faces, courtesy of Hansol. They exchange laughters, and quietness makes it way to the group as their consciousness fades to sleep.

Light feels his eyelids getting heavy, but he jolts when Chan suddenly taps his shoulders.

"Shooting star! Quickly, make a wish!" Light sees the youngest clasp his hands together, eyebrows creasing while he mentally makes a wish. The warrior only smiles fondly at the boy, and he too, makes a wish.

"Did you make a wish?" Chan giddily asks him. "I wished for my family's well-being. What about you?"

"I wished for more moments like this, nothing more." Light pushes the locks of hair that blocks Chan's eyes. "With you and everyone beside me, I wouldn't wish for anything better."

The youngest's heart beats faster, and he tries to control his breathing so that his heartbeat can calm down, but with the man in front of him looking so adoring, he can't help but want to snuggle deeper. He tugs Light closer by the waist, and the latter does the same. Their bodies are completely molded with each other, and nothing feels more right at the moment.

"Hold my hand." Chan tells him, and Light complies. Chan finds solace in the older man's shoulders, and he inhales Light's scent, engraving it into his heart and mind. He knows they are running on borrowed time, and in a few days, they're going to go back home without him. But Chan pushes all those thoughts away. Tonight, he wants to be held, and he also wants to hold Light close to him.

"You're so beautiful, Light." Chan whispers, and the older male smiles in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Chan, for letting me have this moment with you. I know…I know that we might never meet again after this, but—"

Chan silences him with a kiss, and they stay like that for sometime before he leans away and stares at Light. "I don't care. I have you right now, and that's what matters."

Light nods, and they hold each other tightly, almost afraid of what tomorrow might bring. But as time passes with the youngest asleep next to him, he is ready to accept whatever fate has in store for him.

For the whole night, he never lets go of Chan. And neither does Chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Chan has the biggest harem
> 
> And just a reminder, this is how beautiful Light looks like. Chan is one lucky guy 😍
> 
> Seriously, he's so handsome


	22. Good Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The youngest just wants to be good for his boyfriends, but Minghao is noticing a strange yet funny pattern with his members' behaviors whenever Chan is around.
> 
> Safe to say, Chan is what temptation would look like if it had legs.

Chan went out of the tent when everyone was still deep in their slumbers. He knows that he's taken a bath before they slept, but he still feels greasy and strange. One can't blame him though because moments after his rebirth, he was flushed into the battlefield. He remembers using his second form powers: the diamonds. He doesn't know if Cosmos reconfigured his powers or if he's just that strong to effortlessly will his second form to manifest.

However, at that moment, all Chan wanted to do is to bathe in the sea. He slips out of his clothes, including his underwear, and he proceeds to skinny dip. There's a thrill to it, bathing outside with no clothes restricting his body. He sighs full of contention and relaxation as the lukewarm water engulfs his body.

Speaking of it, he didn't fail to notice the changes that his rebirth brought to him. His hair seems to be more vibrant than usual. Bleaching and coloring once made his scalp itchy, but he did it for album and comeback promotions so it's surprising that his hair is still this soft.

His body hair is almost non-existent. His members still have stubbles, faint mustache marks, armpit hair, leg hair and some even had small patches of it in their chests and under their navels. But he didn't have any, even in his butt. He tried shaving his pubic hair once, but he grew rashes after it so he never tried again. He moves his hand under the water and touches his pubic area, mildly acknowledging the soft, hairless skin that met his fingers.

Chan is also getting more muscular than he thought. His shoulders are becoming broader and his arms are bulging out of his clothes, especially in his shirts. A faint line of his pecs are showing out, and he has abs now, which is the real shocker since Chan knows he doesn't work out to gain abdominal muscles. His work out regime is for his arms and mostly, his legs because he's a dancer. Last time he knew, he only had a flat tummy. His thighs and butt have also grown thicker, and he doesn't know if that would be a problem or not.

He benefits greatly from these changes because Chan is glowing. His skin is plump, and his pimples have all disappeared. It's like he's been remodeled, and not that he's complaining but he feels a little feminine with how clean he is.

He continues swimming through the waters, never straying too far from the shore. The sun shines bright, and he lets his body lay motionless in the sea, letting the saltwater waves rock him from side to side.

An hour has passed when he hears somebody calling his name from afar. Turns out, he had fallen asleep and his skin is already growing a little wrinkly due to long periods of being submerged on the water. He swims towards the shore to find Jisoo and Jeonghan waiting for him while holding his clothes and a bathrobe.

"You scared us, baby. I thought you were gone again…" Jeonghan raised the fabric of his pants up to his knees and submerged himself in the water to meet Chan, but the youngest took a step back and smiled sheepishly. "Wait, hyung, I-I'm naked!" 

Jeonghan pauses, and then he steps away from the water and holds the robe towards Chan while closing his eyes. "Jisoo, come on, close yours too!" He whispers, and Jisoo complies while giggling.

Chan felt bad for making his hyung feel worried. He didn't want them to cause them trouble anymore, so he sighs and walks towards them. He takes the robe and covers his body with it, but he doesn't tie it close, letting the strings dangle to the side. He dries his hands and holds both of his hyungs' faces to let them know that it's okay to open their eyes.

They both look at the youngest, who's beaming under the morning light. "I'm sorry. I know you were worried, hyung."

Jeonghan gulps when Chan takes his hands near his chest. "Hyung, can you help me dry myself? After that, you can both help me get dressed, okay?" 

Jisoo almost stutters with the way Chan uttered his words so seductively. But the youngest is probably unaware of it since he looks so innocent. "You can change your clothes using the ring, Channie." 

"But it's a waste of clothes, I'd like to wear those again…if you wouldn't mind helping me, Shua-hyung?" Chan looks at him, and Jisoo just nods, unable to come up with words when he saw that Chan was biting his lip.

"I-I'll dry you now, okay?" Jeonghan speaks, and the youngest just nods as he uses a spare towel to dry his hair. He gently moves it through the youngest's skin, and he pushes the robe slightly to expose the shoulders and chest, which he dries next. Chan tenses when the towel slightly hits his nipples, but Jeonghan doesn't tease and just focuses on drying every inch of his skin. Little did Chan know, the two men in front of him marvel at the sight of his body. 

Then it came to the real challenge, which was drying Chan below the waist. Jeonghan gulps again, almost afraid to open the robe even if it wasn't closed tightly. He noticed that Chan didn't use the strings to tie it, and he's almost afraid to think that the youngest was doing this on purpose.

Chan stops him, and he looks up to see the pretty boy blushing. "I want Shua-hyung to dry me next, please?"

_Ah, he's so innocent._

Jeonghan stays silent, but he's reluctant to switch with Jisoo. He lends the younger the towel, and Jisoo lended him Chan's clothes. Jisoo kneels and his hand shivers slightly as he presses the towel inside the robe. Jisoo's face grows uncomfortably red when he faces his front and glides his hands to dry the youngest's erogenous zones. Despite being given permission, Jisoo still feels uncomfortable because his job was to dry the skin, not to think of very lewd thoughts while drying Chan.

He sighs and mentally hits himself when he starts imagining the image of Chan doing sexual things with him.

He quickly finishes the legs and calls Jeonghan so that they can dress Chan, who's just smiling at them while he gets covered again. Before they could scold Chan for the mischief he committed, a kiss was pressed on both of their cheeks. 

"Thanks, hyungs!" Just like that, Chan was back inside the tent and annoying the others to wake up.

Jeonghan just stares at the empty space Chan had occupied earlier, and he sighs. "I'm sorry, Shua, but I'm definitely hard right now."

Jisoo lets out a small laugh. "I'd be surprised if you weren't. Wanna take a cold bath?" 

* * *

Minghao is always a silent watcher, and he tends to keep an eye on everyone. When they think that they did something secretly, Minghao always knew because he watched it happen. Minghao is a stealthy motherfucker, and he himself knows that.

But he fails to keep an eye on everyone today, because he can't take his eyes off of Chan. He doesn't know what's running in the boy's mind, but he's being very flirty and seductive with the members and Minghao can do nothing but watch.

Based from what Jeonghan and Jisoo told him, they were the first victims. Knowing that the rings can help change their clothing, Chan stuck to the same clothes so he could ask the two to help him dry and get dressed. The youngest didn't ask them for any of those things back then, but maybe it's because Chan just missed them so he wants to spend time with everyone.

However, if Chan really just wanted some bonding, then he has a very seductive way of showing it. Mingyu was on cooking duty, as always, and he was teaching Light how to cook tteokguk, like they promised yesterday. Chan appeared out of nowhere and gave Mingyu a backhug. True, it might seem cute and adorable, but when Chan started inserting his hands inside Mingyu's shirt, that's where Mingyu started stuttering. After an hour of torturing Mingyu, he switched to Light. It was the same process; he slowly hugs from behind, making it seem cute. But he does something different and he doesn't play with Light's abdomen. Rather, he peppers Light's nape with soft kisses. The older male was fine with it during the first minutes, but when Chan's kisses turned longer and more open-mouthed, Mingyu and Minghao can visibly see the struggle happening inside Light's mind. He then skips off with a comment about how good the food smells, and they were left with their mouths agape. 

His next victims were Seungcheol and Jihoon during lunch. Chan used his powers to create stone tables and chairs where they can sit and dine. When the food was done, everyone helped in preparing, and they proceeded to it. Even though Chan finished his food serving, he kept on asking Jihoon and Seungcheol to feed him. Once again, it was cute, but when Seungcheol got his hands messy because Chan kept asking for more, the youngest went down and sucked Seungcheol's fingers one by one. Only Jihoon and him noticed, and they were left speechless as Chan continued eating with smiles on their faces. Unbeknownst to then, Minghao watched it unfold.

Few moments after that, Chan accidentally spilled water on Jihoon's tail. The youngest kept on apologizing, and Jihoon told him that it's fine. But Chan actually grabbed a napkin and wiped Jihoon's tail with it. The older almost screamed from Chan's actions, but he figured that he didn't know just how sensitive Jihoon's tail is. After that, Chan had left everyone speechless, and Jihoon's tail was left tingling for attention.

When they sat around the campfire to tell some stories and drink some beer, Chan decided to sit between Soonyoung and Seokmin. They are no strangers to skinship and touching of thighs because all of them have had their hands on their members' legs. There's nothing wrong with that, but Chan had left Soonyoung and Seokmin with evident boners when he touched them. The whole talk lasted about 3 hours, and Chan kept a hold of them for about 2. It started off as cute, which seemed to be Chan's technique. Then, he started to rub both men's inner thighs using his thumbs. He gradually raised his hands a bit higher than usual, and he kept rubbing on those spaces. Soonyoung and Seokmin are trying their hardest to keep their cool, and Chan is making everything harder because he's hovering his hands near their crotches. 

Minghao confirms that Chan is a tease, because when he was inches from touching the base of their highly erotic areas, he retracts his hands to stand up and get some juice. When he came back, Soonyoung and Seokmin were beyond saving, and they jolted up whenever somebody touched them. They wanted Chan to do it again, Minghao can see it in their faces, but the youngest didn't, and they were left with frustration and longing.

The next time Chan attacked, Minghao never saw how it transpired. Seungkwan and Hansol were the unlucky victims today, and Chan wanted to join them in the bathroom. Everyone in Seventeen has showered together at one point in their lives. Seungkwan and Hansol are not strangers to that anymore, so they let Chan do what he wanted.

Cut to a few minutes later and the three youngest came out freshly dressed. The only difference was that Chan is in his usual, smiling self. Hansol and Seungkwan looked like they're about to come undone. Hansol lets Chan go first, saying that he forgot something, and Chan nodded. Once the youngest has gone far, he took Seungkwan with him and they went back to the bathrooms, kissing each other while they were opening the door. Once they were inside, Minghao only had his ears to tell him what was happening, and he could hear both of their strangled moans.

_"He's doing this-hmm-on purpose…oh fuck…"_

_"Nonie, he's got you wrapped on his fingers—ah!" _

_"Fuck, Kwannie, I want you and him...I want you both so fucking bad…" _

_"Ah! Hnghh…I want both of you, too…he's so irresistible...oh fuck, right there! Ohh, Hansol…ah—" _

Minghao walks away. He's heard enough. Seungkwan told them that he was still a virgin because Hansol only blew him during that night. If that was true, then he's sure Seungkwan lost his virginity today.

Safe to say, he's kind of amused and scared. He's amused because Chan is setting off his members unknowingly, and they are all acting like crazed dogs in heat. But he's scared because the youngest is literally the most innocent among them, as of now. Everyone, maybe except Light, have had their fair share of doing lascivious acts to one another. Even though Seungcheol and Jihoon have never went that far, they still have experienced kissing and making out. Meanwhile, Chan has literally never been kissed and touched sexually since birth and rebirth. He doesn't know that he's pushing everyone's buttons. Minghao is scared because if one member misunderstands his intentions and sexually advances towards him, Chan will get scared of them.

He needs to talk to his members first. Then, he will talk to Chan. He needs to act before everything goes out of hand.

* * *

During sunset, Minghao watched everyone carefully. This is going to be their first night (not counting their night yesterday) after the war, meaning that they still have 2 more days to share before they go back to Earth. He needs to sever this blight in the dynamic of their relationship before someone tips the balance and commits something regrettable.

He watches, and cringes internally, when he hears Chan's moans and huffs of pleasure. Apparently, he asked Wonwoo and Junhui to massage his back, and Chan is very vocal when somebody massages him.

But he doesn't know how everyone feels. Even his boyfriend has been charged with sexual energy, and it seems like he's the only one sane right now. No one even teased Seungkwan and Hansol when they both came back limping because they were all in a trance. Light and Minghao stand by the side, and the latter is relieved to see that Light is more patient and virtuous than his members.

But that facade cracks a little when Chan slips occasional grunts of approval as Wonwoo and Junhui do their jobs wonderfully and everyone is just watching eagerly. It's a really funny scene, Minghao thinks, because they look like they're waiting for their food while they watch the chefs prepare it.

"Ahh hyung…oh yes, right there. Push harder, please…"

Wonwoo gulps, a noticeable trail of sweat coming from his sideburns. "Ha-harder, Chan? Are you…sure?"

Chan just smiles and closes his eyes in ecstasy, gripping the chair as he shudders. "Yes, please, right ther—AH!"

Minghao stifles his laughter when his members jolt in time with Chan's high pitched squeal. He's almost enjoying this, how birdbrained his members are being.

"What is happening to Chan? He's been so…daring, lately." Light speaks beside him, arms crossed.

Minghao chuckles. "Chan's not daring. That's just how affectionate he is. This is how he normally is when he's happy. The only difference is that…"

"That what?" 

"That we have romantic attachments to him now. Everybody loves him more than a brother, and Chan knows it. It's just that he's never had a partner of his own before all of this happened. Sure, Chan knows the mechanics of relationships, but having 12 boyfriends for your first? It's expected that he'd be oblivious to their needs."

Light sighs. "That sounds like it may lead to troubles."

"It will if I don't hit their heads and make them think with it instead of their dicks. Look at them, they're practically undressing him with their eyes." Minghao runs a hand through his hair and goes towards the main problem.

"Stop getting massages, you're getting sleepy already." Minghao gently pushes Wonwoo and Jun to the side and he scoops up the youngest, who softly whines.

"Mmhhh, hyung...touch me more…feels so good…" Chan drawls, his eyes slowly drooping as he slips in and out of his slumber. He clings tighter to Minghao, but the older remains unfazed as he lays Chan down inside their shared tent.

"Sleep well, baby. We'll wake you up when dinner is ready. You really had fun today, didn't you?" Minghao asked rhetorically, not actually expecting an answer. But he receives one.

"Hmm…missed…everyone…so bad…" Minghao chuckles at the cute sound of Chan's mumbles. The older cups his face and leaves a chaste kiss on Chan's cheeks. The youngest holds his hands and softly groans in his slumber. "D-don't...leave…", but Chan falls deep into his exhaustion and his hands drop, sounds of his snores filling the entirety of the tent. Minghao whispers a "good night" before heading out towards the others, who only looked at him like he was a doctor about to announce a patient's condition. 

"Don't worry, he's asleep." He says, and his members only nod in response, not saying anything. Minghao takes this as a cue to commence his plan. "Actually, this might be a really good time to talk to you all. Come and sit with me by the fire."

So they did, and Minghao looked at them all to see if they were uncomfortable but none of them showed it in their faces. "Since we're all here, I want to address one thing."

"What is it, babe?" Junhui asks beside him, taking his hand. Minghao squeezes it and smiles.

"It's about how everyone is reacting to Chan. You're all walking on eggshells, I can tell by how weird everyone is."

The other members nod in acknowledgement, some hang their heads from shame. Wonwoo speaks, "You can't really blame us. Chan's too…loving. It's almost a miracle that I managed to control myself for that long." 

Seungkwan scoffs. "You're lucky you even had the will to hold back. Chan came with Hansol and me to take a bath, and he was literally tempting us to do something bad. Have you seen how sinfully beautiful his body is? He had no body hair and he just looked so plump and…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Hansol huffs, his face hidden in his hands. "I'm already having a hard time just imagining it."

Jihoon asks, "Wait…you guys were limping when you came back…don't tell me you both fucked Chan!" Jihoon points to both boys accusingly, in which the younger objects and denies. 

Minghao interjects before it could escalate. "This! This is exactly what I'm talking about! You talk about Chan like he's doing this on purpose! The maknae literally just wants to spend time with you all. Sure, he might not know that what he's doing is making you all go alpha right now but this is the first relationship he's been in! He's affectionate and clingy because he loves us, not because he's seducing us! Can you all think with your brains? What if one of you suddenly got the motive to touch him sexually and he gets scared? This is a major second chance, guys!" Minghao grabs his hair in frustration. "We already messed up, let's not repeat it this time. The worst thing that could happen right now is Chan being scared of us. Please, everyone should be more patient and understanding with him."

Seungcheol nods at the younger's words, and he goes towards him to give a hug. He's filled with pride to see how grown and mature Minghao is. "Thank you, Minghao. You kept your head leveled when everyone else wasn't. I'm sorry, I couldn't think straight. We're sorry that none of us acted like men. But I'm very glad that we have you to keep us grounded." He gently rubs the back of Minghao's head as his chin rests on the younger's shoulder. "I love you, Hao." 

"I-uh…" Minghao suddenly finds it hard to speak when the others crowd around him. They are all looking at him like he's the most precious thing in the world, and this attention is making him shy. His members apologize one by one, and they hold him while whispering words of love.

Now this is a relationship he did not expect.

However, only Junhui had the confidence to kiss him on the lips. "Baby, you made me so proud. Not gonna lie, seeing you take charge was kind of sexy." 

Minghao grimaces and giggles. "Oh come on, I just told you to stop thinking with your skinny penis."

* * *

Chan's eyes slowly flutter open, and he's met with 13 different faces, all equally handsome and trustworthy. Light goes forward and places a small table near him. The youngest yawns and stretches his arms before sitting up, rubbing the remnants of sleep away from his eyes.

"Hello everyone…" He greets with a tired smile. "What's all this?"

Light grins, and Chan really wants to cuddle him right now. "We brought you dinner. The others helped me cook and prepare some bibimbap, and we boiled the meat earlier so Mingyu thought that he'll use the broth to make some soup."

Chan looks at the food, and his stomach immediately growls at the sight. He picks the metal utensils and digs in, but he thanks the others first. They help him, and they take care of his needs. Light wipes some food residue on the corners of his mouth, and some of his members ask him if he needs some juice or water. Some people may feel uncomfortable when others watch them eat, but Chan feels nothing but love when his 13 boyfriends are smiling at him just because he's eating so well.

When he finishes his food, Light sets the small table and tray aside. He holds Chan's hands, and he looks like he's conflicted about something. The youngest notices this, but he doesn't dwell on it and just offers his thanks.

"Everyone…thank you for doing this. The food was really delicious, and I feel happy with everyone." He smiles. Light does too, and he gently raises his hands to rub Chan's shoulders.

"Chan, I'm sorry…but I won't sleep here tonight."

The younger male stares in confusion. "Light, why? Is there something wrong?"

The older shakes his head. "No, it's not that."

Chan's lower lip trembles, his mind quickly dipping to darker thoughts. "D-did I do something wrong?" 

Light sighs, his brows furrowed in sadness because Chan's already blaming himself. He leans in and gives the boy comforting kisses on his lips and cheeks. He holds him close for a while. He inhales the scent of the boy as they share this moment, before he detaches himself and explains the reason why he's leaving.

"Cosmos has called me. Cid and her require my presence in the sanctuary. I'll be back in the morning, and I won't leave you after that, okay?"

Chan nods, and he connects their foreheads together. "Okay. Come back soon, please."

"I will." Light stands up to leave, but Chan pulls him back towards him. They share another hug, which turns into a kiss. After a while, the youngest lets him go.

"Go now, please. Do it before I change my mind." Chan sends him off, even going outside to see Light disappear from the gateway. He goes back inside the tent, and he sits beside his hyungs.

Minghao sits in front of him and holds his hands this time. He plays with their fingers, and he breathes through his nose.

"Chan, I need you to know something." Minghao stares at him straight, and Chan gulps his nervousness like he's done something wrong. 

"Yes, hyung?" 

"Baby, I know you're very capable of loving, and bless you, Chan, because your heart is just overflowing with it. You love us all equally and you show it so well, but sometimes you need to tone it down a bit."

Chan frowns. "What? Am I…am I being bad?" 

"No, honey. Very far from that." Minghao looks at his members for help, but all of them are too shy to admit their raunchy thoughts so Minghao swallows his frustration and continues. "Actually, don't laugh, but your hyungs have been thinking naughty things about you. Jisoo and Jeonghan told us that you made them dry your naked body and have you dressed, right?" 

Chan nods. "Yeah." 

"You played with Mingyu's abs, didn't you?" 

"Y-yes, I did." 

"Are you touching Soonyoung and Seokmin by their thighs?" 

The youngest nods again. "Mm-hmm." 

"Did you play with Seungcheol hyung's fingers with your mouth?"

"But t-the food was stuck and I didn't want hyung's fingers to be sticky!" Chan whined. 

"And did you touch Jihoon hyung's tail without permission?" 

"I'm...I'm sorry, I just wanted to clean it because I spilled water on it."

"Have you been teasing Seungkwan and Hansol because you're getting bulkier?" 

Chan's jaw drops. "N-no! I wouldn't do that! I took a bath with them cause I missed seeing their antics when we showered together…" 

Minghao nods. "Okay then, sorry. But you did become a little bit too loud while Jun-ge and Wonwoo were massaging you, right?" 

"Yes. But, I just wanted them to know that they are making me feel good! I want them to know that I acknowledge them!" Chan heaves, running out of breath due to how fast he's speaking.

Minghao looks back at his members, all grimacing and cringing at their improper thoughts. "Lastly, Chan, are you doing this on purpose? Are you doing this to get attention? Just answer us honestly, baby." 

Chan's eyes are slowly filling with hot tears, threatening to spill anytime. "N-no! I...I just missed everyone. Why would you say that?" Chan can't hold it back anymore and his tears finally spill. "Am I not good enough?" 

Minghao and the others panic, and they all hug Chan, whispering sweet words and reassuring him that everything is alright. Minghao speaks to clear the misunderstanding. "Channie, baby, I was just making sure because they were not understanding your actions."

He cups Chan's face and wipes his tears away. "They thought you were seducing them. I just wanted them to hear that you didn't do it out of some motive. I'm sorry for the words I said, Chan. I never meant to hurt you."

Chan clings to him tight, and he sniffs as he looks up at all of them. "I'm sorry too…" 

"No, baby, you don't have to apologize for anything. You did nothing wrong." Jeonghan speaks softly beside him, relaxing Chan's nerves and rubbing his side.

The youngest's sobs have ceased, but his voice is raspy when he speaks. "I just…want to be a good boy for everyone. You all kiss, touch each other, make each other feel good. I think…I want that too."

Chan lets out a shaky breath as his 12 loved ones stare at him. He locks eyes with Jihoon "Hyung, am I a good boy?" 

Jihoon leans forward and kisses him. "Yes…yes, you're such a good boy." Jihoon presses his lips harder, and Chan lets out a muffled whimper for everyone to hear.

"I want…I want you all. I want you all so much." Chan lies down, baring his clothed body for his lovers. "I've been dreaming of this for a long time." 

Jihoon straddles him, and he goes back to kissing the living daylights out of Chan.

Once they got the youngest's approval, their lips latched onto every part of Chan's skin that they can taste and kiss. Jihoon lets him kiss Seungcheol, who's beside them. Then Jeonghan gently taps Jihoon to let him have his turn. Jeonghan straddles Chan and kisses him, occasionally inserting his tongue and making their good boy see stars. Mingyu tilts Chan's head slightly backwards and he kisses him from behind. Minghao and Hansol took the opportunity to mark the younger's neck while his throat was exposed, thanks to Mingyu.

Soonyoung presses his body between Chan's legs, softly tracing Chan's thighs with his lips. The youngest mewls loudly, and the tension in the room grows even more. Soonyoung presses his chest at Jeonghan's back, and he nibbles at the older's ear. The action earns him a satisfying groan, and he smirks as he continues kissing Jeonghan's neck. He leaves it temporarily to snatch Chan's lips away, and he alternates between Jeonghan and Chan's lips.

Jisoo snakes his body beside Chan and he kisses the youngest's ear. He comments on Soonyoung, "Soonyoung, you're hogging everyone."

Soonyoung doesn't listen, and instead, he grabs the collar of Jisoo's shirt and kisses him fiercely instead.

Chan reaches blindly and his hands land on Jisoo's cheeks. Soonyoung lets him go instantly and Jisoo pours all his vigor in kissing the youngest.

Seokmin suddenly lifts Chan, making the youngest straddle his lap. They kiss passionately, and the others all crowd them like how piranhas share a chunk of meat. Seungkwan traps Seokmin between his legs and he marks his neck. Seokmin moans and hisses. He reaches for Seungkwan behind him and they share a kiss. It is a heated exchange of lips between him, Seokmin, and Chan. They part and connect their lips with a completely different person, and the romance is quickly being clouded thickly with desire and passion.

The youngest was taken away from Seokmin, who was busy making out with Soonyoung at that moment, and Chan was led to the den of Seungcheol, Wonwoo, and Junhui. Seungcheol's thick lips enveloped his sinfully, tongues occasionally dancing with each other. Junhui grinds on him from behind, and he lets out a loud moan. Junhui kisses him on his nape, Seungcheol leaves his lips to decorate his neck with marks, and Wonwoo gently tips Chan's chin so their lips can meet. Everyone's touching him eagerly, and his eyes roll back as he shudders intensely. He can't keep quiet, and he can't stop moaning with how good everyone's making him feel.

Wonwoo caught Junhui and Seungcheol kissing from below them, and he smirks. "Chan, I think the pairings are all messed up." 

Chan giggles and kisses Wonwoo harder. He places his thighs around Wonwoo's waist, and the older lays him down on the soft covers of the tent ground. He slinks a hand inside Chan's shirt and plays with his nipples, making the younger exclaim noises of pleasure. Seungcheol swoops down from his left and coos at Chan.

"You taste so good, baby." Chan squirms at the deep voice, and he keens at the nickname. There's just something about his hyungs calling him 'baby' and 'good boy'. He can't tell what it is, but he longs for it. 

"You've been such a good boy to us, Chan. Do you want us to reward you? I want to reward you so bad." Soonyoung growls as he takes his lips again. Chan almost screams as he struggles to form words. "Mmh…yes! Please…oh, please…hyungs.."

Wonwoo stops playing with his nipples to ask something. "Exactly how far do you want us to go, Chan? This is your first time, and I…I'm worried that we might hurt you." 

The youngest kisses him full of burning passion. "You could never hurt me hyung, I know you won't hurt me, and I trust them just as much." 

Wonwoo nibbles Chan's lips. "So…how far?" 

Chan exhales and he takes a look at everyone's hooded expressions. It's clear that they've all been wanting this, and he can see that he's loved.

"As far as you all want it to go. I leave my body in your hands, but please…"

His members feel a strong flutter in their hearts when Chan takes his shirt off. His muscles flex at the slightest stretch, and his body looks like it was sculpted by Cosmos herself. He looks just the right mix of purity and sin.

"Hyungs, please be gentle with me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know the next chapter is going to be hardcore smut and YOU ALL BETTER PREPARE YOURSELVES.
> 
> HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO OUR GIANT OTTER, DINO!!!!!


	23. Euphoric

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chan gets more than what he deserves

The 12 boys marvel at the sight of Chan's pristine, fair skin. One by one, they feel him, touch him in various places that makes the youngest shudder and release shaky breaths. Seokmin comes up behind him and tips his body backwards so that Chan's back is lying on the older's chest. He presses light kisses on the younger's neck, making him squirm.

"Channie, you should tell us who you want." Seokmin coos at the small sounds of pleasure that Chan is making. Mingyu straddles his lap and kisses Chan's collarbones. He comes up to bite him on his ear, and he smirks when the youngest yelps and arches his back to meet Mingyu's body.

"It is your first time, right?" Mingyu whispers. "We want you to enjoy this. We don't want to take you however we want, because this night is yours. You should choose who you want and how you want it."

Chan's voice comes out strangled under his labored breathing. "I…nghh—I don't know…I want everyone." He tips his head to meet Seokmin's lips, then he lunges next for Mingyu's. "Please…I can't wait anymore."

Seungcheol clears his throat. "Well, since Wonwoo clearly has the most experience, it's only right for him to take care of Chan. The rest of you, just…make sure Chan's feeling good."

Jeonghan smirks and gropes Seungcheol on his butt, to which the oldest yelps. "Fuck, you're so hot when you speak like a commander."

They share a kiss, and Seungcheol's kind of confused and shaken, but in a good way. Jihoon pulls Jeonghan by his hair and growls, "I think you're getting confused, hyung." 

Jeonghan challenges him and growls back as he smashes his lips towards Jihoon's. The smaller male tries fighting back, but Jeonghan's more experienced and he makes Jihoon submit within mere seconds. Seungcheol watches the two touch each other, and he doesn't know whether to be offended or be aroused.

Jeonghan lets go of Jihoon, a thread of saliva connecting their lips and Jihoon looks more disheveled than ever. The older of the two gives Seungcheol a seductive glare. "You two haven't done it yet, right?"

"W-wha—" Seungcheol arches his back and hisses when Jisoo sneaks behind him and touches his crotch. Jeonghan giggles. "Don't play coy with me, Cheol. I know you know what I'm talking about." 

Jeonghan and Jisoo are both surprisingly dominant, Seungcheol reminds himself to not take them lightly. "Yes…we-we didn't."

Jeonghan leads Jihoon towards Seungcheol, making him straddle the oldest. "Then it better happen tonight if you want to take care of Chan."

Jisoo softly speaks. "Wait, what about Seungkwan?" Jeonghan answers him, but they lock their lips first. "We'll talk to Hansol."

They stand up and go to the other side where Hansol and Seungkwan are. Jeonghan winks at them, "You two better get on with it."

Seungcheol blinks two times and stares at Jeonghan's back before he looks at Jihoon and giggles. "What the hell is happening tonight?" 

The shorter male laughs back, and they share a soft moment before everything between them crumbles to ashes. "I think Chan's just that powerful. He completely destroyed the ships."

Seungcheol frowns. "What?" 

Jihoon shushes him by putting his finger on Seungcheol's lips. "The author wants us to fuck so we should start now, don't you think?"

Seungcheol just nods and lets the younger male take his lips to heaven.

"Just breathe, Chan. Relax, you're doing a very great job." Wonwoo rubs soothing motions on Chan's thighs as he slowly scissors the tight ring of muscles. They have lube, but Chan's too tight and tense since it is his first. Wonwoo watches his face to see if he's in pain, but the youngest seems to be slowly relaxing. Wonwoo continues the rhythm of his fingers inside Chan and soon enough, the latter starts responding in a better way.

Wonwoo gets the assurance he's seeking when the youngest suddenly screams and arches his back, legs trembling from the mixed shock and pleasure. "Fuck! A-ah…there! Please hyung, go harder there—YES! Aahh hyung keep going!"

Seokmin plays with Chan's nipples as the youngest writhes on his torso. He whispers praises on the boy's ears as Wonwoo adds another finger inside him. The pleasure is too thick around them and Chan has completely forgotten the pain that came with the foreplay. Mingyu is busy sucking Chan's cock, and the latter's legs continue trembling due to the intensity of the sensations he's feeling in his ass, dick, and nipples. 

Chan is a screamer, Soonyoung notes, as he watches the scene play out in front of him. He's placed beside Seokmin, and he gently runs his fingers on the sides of Chan's torso. He uses his nails to leave faint scratches on Chan's skin, and the younger responds wantonly. He doesn't shy away from the touches anymore, and his noises grow louder and more pornographic by each passing moment.

Chan turns his head to the left as Soonyoung presses wet traces of his lips on the skin, and he opens his eyes for a bit to see Jeonghan and Jisoo talking to Seungkwan and Hansol. He notes how the youngest of the 4 blushes as he takes his clothes off, and Seungkwan follows him as they kiss each other's lips feverishly.

It makes his erect dick leak precum as he watches Hansol slowly prepare Seungkwan, and Jeonghan locks eyes with him and smirks. "Looks like we have an audience. Enjoying the experience, baby?" 

Chan can only nod and whimper in agreement. He sees Jeonghan whisper something in Jisoo's ears, and they both smile. Jisoo then moves to Wonwoo who's on top of the youngest, and whispers sometging to him. The mystery and secrecy of the whole exchange ignites the fires of Chan's desire, and it makes him needy for whatever they're planning.

Wonwoo looks a bit scandalized of what Jisoo said, but the older urges him to try it. Chan can read his hyung's lips through his hooded gaze, and he recognized the words "try" and "like it".

Chan couldn't bear the tension anymore and he was about to speak when Wonwoo suddenly dips his head low and presses his mouth to the rim of Chan's asshole. The younger sucks in a breath and lets out a strangled cry as the sensation of Wonwoo's tongue on his hole makes him cry and beg for more. Mingyu suddenly moans on his cock and Chan nearly topples over from the increasing pleasure. Minghao and Junhui come up beside him to help Seokmin, who's trying to restrain his movements from behind. 

Chan can't do anything but watch as his hyungs slowly wreck him one by one. He can hear Minghao and Jun's delightful whispers about him doing a good job and being such a good boy. Tears fall from his eyes when the two suddenly started licking and sucking his earlobes. He tries restraining his sobs, but the tension and pleasure is just too much for his body.

The first sound of his cries seem to stop time as his members fully halt their movements and look at each other in horror when Chan's cries become louder. Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Jihoon were the first to notice the change in the atmosphere and they hold Chan's face and hands. "Baby, look at us. Baby, what's wrong? Did we do something wrong? Channie, tell us."

Chan wipes his tears and shakes his head. He tries speaking, but he's really crying hard and he can't actually form words and can only make faint words. "N-no I…I...hyung…" He gives up and just cries as his hyungs cuddle him all together, waiting for Chan to calm down. But then, Mingyu notices that he's still holding the youngest's cock.

What's surprising is that it's still hard.

He carefully approaches Chan and speaks gently, "Channie? Baby, did we do something wrong?" 

Chan is calm now, but he still sniffs occasionally. He only shakes his head at Mingyu's question.

Mingyu takes this as a green light. "Do you want us to stop?"

Mingyu receives a bigger response when the youngest looks at him and pleads with his eyes as he shakes his head. "D-don't." 

He smiles at the youngest and leans closer. "Can I kiss you, Channie?" 

Chan stares at his lips and nods, and Mingyu uses his free hand to guide Chan's head as they share a slow, but passionate kiss. Jeonghan looks at the other members, and he feels the mood slowly transforming again, so he taps Seungcheol and Hansol's shoulders to remind them of what they're supposed to do with their partners. The two males only nod in understanding and they detach their partners from the circle surrounding Chan. 

Mingyu teases the insides of Chan's mouth, leaving the younger breathless. He thumbs the slit of Chan's cock and the youngest gives a muffled scream as his body jerks.

Mingyu breaks from the kiss, and he almost gives in to wreck the youngest right there when Chan whines at the loss of contact. He looks at Wonwoo, "Hyung, you need to do it now. He's getting overstimulated. I'm feeling bad for him."

Wonwoo bites his lip and he suddenly feels scared and burdened. He's about to take the virginity of their youngest and most beloved member, and he feels like he doesn't deserve it. "What if I hurt him, Ming? I'm scared. I don't want to hurt Chan." 

Mingyu smiles and holds Wonwoo's hands. "Just do it and make him feel loved. Give Chan what he deserves."

Wonwoo knows how much the youngest deserves, so he nods and reaches for his bag to retrieve a condom. Good thing he kept some on his bag when Cid gave them their belongings.

He rips the packet open and slides the condom on his length. He positions himself on Chan's entrance and he locks eyes with the beautiful man beneath him.

"Sorry, Channie. I really don't want to use a condom but it's better to be safe. I don't want to hurt you." Wonwoo caresses the younger's cheeks, and Chan closes his eyes at the feeling.

"It's okay, hyung. Just go slow, please. I-I'm scared…but I want this." 

Wonwoo nods and gives him one last kiss on his forehead before he slowly goes inside Chan.

It was excruciating, both for Chan and Wonwoo. Chan can feel the stretch and its slowly getting painful as Wonwoo continues pushing, while the older is gripping the blankets so hard because he's going insane at the tightness of Chan's hole. He knows how to control himself, but this is making him lose his mind. It feels too good but he can't be selfish because he knows how much Chan is hurting. His first top was Mingyu, and everyone knows that Mingyu's cock is just right for his build. Wonwoo remembers being unable to walk the following day. 

Chan raises his legs and wraps it on Wonwoo's waist, and he grabs onto the older's arms as his breathing becomes faster. He knows that there's pleasure coming but right now, all he feels is a burning sting that's lasting too long for his own liking. 

"Just relax, baby." Jeonghan notices the conflicting emotion on Chan's eyes and he kisses him to ease the pain. Jisoo strokes the youngest cock and kisses his neck to further ease Chan's discomfort. Mingyu, on the other hand, coaxes Wonwoo to calm down and not move, and he gives his boyfriend his deserved kisses for being such a gentle partner to their maknae. "Wait for a while, hyung. You know how painful it gets."

Jeonghan looks at the other members who are just watching on the side. "Go and help the others. We'll take care of Chan."

Soonyoung practically pounces on Jihoon and Seungcheol's side, and Seokmin laughs at his boyfriend's eagerness to see Jihoon getting wrecked. Junhui and Minghao then make their way to Hansol and Seungkwan to help the younger pair. 

Jeonghan and Jisoo stayed beside Chan, and Mingyu stays beside Wonwoo. For a while they stay silent as they let Chan relax his body. 

When Chan feels the pain subside, he shifts his hips a bit, and both him and Wonwoo let out moans. Jeonghan chuckles, "Well, looks like that's your cue, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo just looks at Chan for approval. Chan asks, "It's—hmm—supposed to feel like this, right?"

Jisoo lightly pinches one of Chan's nipples, and he softly giggles when the youngest yelps. "Well, what are you feeling right now, Chan?" 

Chan looks up at Wonwoo with hooded eyes. "It feels good…like the pain earlier didn't even exist."

Jisoo smiles. "Well then, Wonwoo, you know what to do."

Wonwoo nods and pulls his hips backwards before going deep again inside Chan's hole. The youngest's noises pick up once more as Wonwoo builds a steady rhythm, rocking his hips to give Chan the pleasure he deserves. Chan's nails dig deep on Wonwoo's back, but the older perseveres through it just to make Chan feel good.

"O-oh fuck…ah! Ah hyung! Yes—AH YES, THERE! Wonwoo hyung! A-ahh… " Chan bucks his hips upward as he feels his release coming faster. Wonwoo lets out the same muffled noises as he goes faster, but not too much to hurt Chan. He pauses for a bit, and he finds a better angle to reach Chan's prostate easier. Chan seems to notice what Wonwoo is doing so he uses his flexibility to further raise his legs, basically folding himself in half. His hyungs' jaw drop, and he mentally makes a note to thank Soonyoung for his insane stretching routines.

"Channie a-are you sure about…" Wonwoo asks but Chan interrupts him with a very eager nod. Wonwoo complies and goes inside Chan much faster than before. Wonwoo kisses him and he empties his noises inside the older's mouth as his prostate gets continuously hit with their new position. The bulbous head of Wonwoo's dick touches Chan's sweet spot over and over, and the younger screams and sobs as his cock spurts white cum, the euphoria sending waves of extreme pleasure over him and Wonwoo. However, since the older is way more experienced than him, Wonwoo lasted far longer than Chan did, and Chan spent the following moments crying in pleasure as Wonwoo went faster to chase his own release and also so that he can let Chan rest.

"Ah hyung! F-fuuuuuuck! Oh fuck, hyung you…you're gonna make me…ah fuck! Hyung! Wonwoo hyung!" Wonwoo fails to find his release because Chan came again before he could.

"I'm sorry, Chan…I'll stop if it hurts." Wonwoo says, but Chan urges him. "Don't stop, please…not now."

And Wonwoo complies to the youngest's request. He goes faster, hitting that same spot over and over and Chan's voice is already getting hoarse from all the screaming. Jisoo, Jeonghan, and Mingyu are already touching each other just a few feet behind them. Seungcheol and Jihoon are already high on each other's touches, and the younger male's tail is latched tight on Seungcheol's thighs as the older pounds intimately into him. Chan watches his hyungs crowd Jihoon as his moans continue to spill out of his beautiful mouth. He looks to the other side as Seungkwan's pretty voice cries for more, while his older hyung, Hansol, continue to shower Seungkwan with praises as he takes Hansol's cock so well. Chan groans and fists Wonwoo's hair as he revels in the pure lust that everyone's bathing in. Seeing his hyung's purities being taken at the same time as his is making Chan's sanity haywire. His back arches and he comes again.

"Oh fuck, you came again." Wonwoo grits on top of him, and kisses him. This kiss is very different from all the times they kissed him, because this was dirty, sloppy, and messy, but still so satisfying for Chan. The fires of his youth is slowly being quenched, but he ignites it more because he wants more and he _ can't _ have enough.

"More...please...harder…" Chan begs, and Wonwoo stops abruptly. "Chan are you su—" Chan couldn't wait anymore so he takes the matters to his own accord and pushes Wonwoo on his back. He's still inexperienced, but he knows enough things that would make both him and Wonwoo feel good, so he cants his hips and slams it down on Wonwoo. The new position gives Chan tingles because Wonwoo's cock can easily brush along the bundle of nerves that makes Chan cry in ecstasy. 

"Ch-Chan, ugh fuck! Oh…oh yes!" Wonwoo grabs the back of Chan's head and leans forward to kiss him, their foreheads touching as Wonwoo pushes his hips up to meet Chan's. The sound of skin slapping against skin is very lewd, and it makes everyone lose their minds as the heat grows thicker under the night.

"Ah hyung! Wonwoo hyung, I'm gonna cum!" Chan's breathing goes fast and broken moans follow as his voice cracks under the intensity of his fourth release. Wonwoo shuts his eyes and growls loudly as he cums inside Chan. The latter thinks it's a shame that Wonwoo had condom on, because he'd been thinking how it'd feel to have his hyung's hot cum trickling from inside his ass down to his legs. But he's too tired and his skin is sensitive everywhere, so he collapses towards Wonwoo's sweaty build and he stays there, not minding how much cum their bodies are covered in.

He presses a kiss to Wonwoo's cheeks, which make the older smile, and he slowly drifts away as his hyung's noises of ecstatic pleasure lull him to sleep. Wonwoo kisses him on the lips one more time and whispers, "Rest well, Channie. You did such a good job."

So he rests. 

* * *

He wakes up to a wet, hot sensation on his torso. It rubs his body in a circular motion and he slowly opens his eyes to see his hyungs crowded around him. Jihoon and Seungkwan are lying down beside him, and the others are either sitting down or crouched. He looks to his chest to see that Wonwoo was cleaning his body with a wet cloth. It feels hot so he surmises that they used hot water.

"I told you to be gentle! Now you woke him up!" Mingyu speaks in a hushed tone and scolds his boyfriend as he softly slaps Wonwoo's arm.

"I was doing it lightly! And I told you that we should just wait until he woke up! He's too tired!" Wonwoo answers back and he throws the wet cloth on Mingyu's face. They bicker for a moment before they laugh it off. He smiles at the sight, and he feels a hand on his chest. He looks to his right to see Jihoon, with Seungcheol's chin lying on the smaller man's shoulders. They're both looking at him lovingly, but there's a teasing glint in their eyes.

"So...Channie. How does it feel to cum four times in your first sex?" Jihoon smirks, and Seungcheol clicks his tongue. "Hoonie, I told you not to tease him! You weren't any better, you came as soon as I touched your dick."

"Hey, Soonyoung and Seokmin were playing with my tail! It's also partly because of that!" Jihoon playfully answers back. 

Chan smiles at them, and he looks to his left as he hears Seungkwan's soft snores. His hyung looks so pretty and cute, and he silently giggles. Hansol softly caresses Chan's face and gives his forehead a kiss, and Chan basically purrs at the affection.

Jisoo taps his legs, and Chan looks down and suddenly notices that everyone's clothed. Well, still kinda naked because all of them are just in their boxers. "How are you feeling, Chan? I know Wonwoo's got a large dick and I've already healed you but do you still feel sore?" Chan laughs as he sees Wonwoo blush before he shoves Jisoo towards Jeonghan.

Chan cutely shakes his head. "Nah, I feel pretty good now. Although Wonwoo hyung really did a number on my prostate." They all whistle towards Wonwoo and the latter smiles and covers his face with embarrassment.

"Jisoo baby, can you heal me for a bit? I still feel a slight sting on my left hip." Jeonghan pouts, and Jisoo's face frowns in concern for the older male. "I keep asking you earlier if I was being too harsh, babe. You shouldn't let me hurt you like that." Jisoo releases green beams of light from his hands and he gently massages Jeonghan on his hips.

"It's fine, babe. I like it when I drive you so mad that you just have to take charge." Jeonghan smirks, and Jisoo blushes.

Minghao cringes. "Look at these rabbits. Good thing Jun-ge and I are more focused on helping Hansol prepare Seungkwan." 

Seokmin widens his eyes. "You and Jun hyung didn't touch each other? At all?" 

Junhui shrugs. "Well, we did for a bit, but I kinda went out of it when Chan cried. So when Jeonghan told us to help Seungkwan and Hansol, we just focused on helping."

Minghao smiles endearingly at his hyung. Soonyoung's jaw drops at what he just heard. "I can't believe that, really! Seokmin is probably the person in here who has the least sexually-influenced mind but even he got affected by all the things that happened earlier! If Jisoo hyung didn't heal me, I wouldn't probably be able to walk for days!"

Jeonghan sighs audibly. "I told you to help Jihoon and Seungcheol, not join them."

"Wasn't our fault! Seokmin was too irresistible so I couldn't control myself! Seungcheol and Jihoon were getting it on and the only thing running in my mind was that I have to get Seokmin inside me!" 

Minghao sighs, "Like I said, y'all are fucking rabbits." 

They tease each other and laugh together as they recall the steamy moments that happened earlier. Chan couldn't believe that all of this is real. All of them are his, and he is all theirs. Chan couldn't wish for anything better. "Everyone, thank you for giving me this night. I couldn't wish for better friends." Chan looks at all of his boyfriends. "I look at everyone, and I think to myself that I would die all over again, if it means that I'll get to spend another lifetime with all of you."

Jihoon kisses him on his cheeks. "No one has to die ever again, okay? We love you so much, Chan."

Chan nods. "I love you all, too. Very much."

* * *

Light heads out of the sanctuary gateway in the late morning, and out to the camping grounds. He finds half of the group crowded along the long table, and the other half busy cooking food. Chan sees him, and he calls the other's name as he runs towards the older male and hugs him. "You're back!" He gets showered with hugs from the others and they tell all the things that happened when he was gone as they serve the food and they all sat down with each other to eat together.

Chan never left his side, and they spent the following hours laughing with each other, playing games, and teaching Light about what they did on Earth and their different traditions.

Light is eager to learn, and he made sure to take everyone's words to his mind and heart. They all went to sleep that night with smiles in their faces as they look at the tent's transparent roof and watch the stars.

"I love you, Light." Chan whispers beside him, before the younger sleeps. Light responds with a soft "I love you, too." as he looks at the stars above him.

This is their final night together, so he holds Chan tight and he closes his eyes. He takes everything in, and he recalls all of the memories he made with Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Junhui, Soonyoung, Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, Mingyu, Minghao, Seungkwan, Hansol, and the man he holds tonight, Chan. He takes their memories all into his heart, and he smiles as he realizes how proud he is of everyone. They came in this world as clueless humans, but they will leave as legendary warriors. However, tomorrow brings another story, and Light already knows what it is as he sniffs and wipes his tears.

Tomorrow, the world ends.

Tomorrow, they will all leave him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...how did I do?


	24. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone goes home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crying boys. That's the content of this chapter.

"There, that should do the trick." Chan unfastens the knot of the tie that's providing Light some itch on his neck for the past few minutes since he had it. The younger male smooths the creases of Light's white coat, and he smiles as he pushes back the fringes of Light's beautiful hair, admiring his handiwork on the older male's physique. "I must say, the suit looked better on you than it did for me when I tried it." 

Light pinches Chan's left cheek. "Everything looks better if it's on you." The gesture makes the smaller male blush, and he just covers his face as an uncontrollable smile spreads through it. Light gently removes Chan's hands away from his face and he holds him close. "Don't be shy, my love. You deserve the highest praises." 

"When you say all those things, it makes me feel more shy." Chan squeaks, which elicits a giggle from his beautiful partner.

However, Chan's face darkens slowly as he realizes the gravity of their situation today. It's something he told himself to not worry about, but now that it's right in front of him, just mere moments from unfolding, he can't help but realize how heartbreaking and stressful this must be for Light. He leans forward, presses their foreheads and noses together, and he shakily lets out a breath.

"I know…that what'll happen moments from now…will probably be our last. But Light, I…I want you to be strong." Chan kisses him. "Can you do that for me?"

Light kisses him back and embraces him. "I can do anything when it's you who tells me what to do."

* * *

Cosmos smiles as her warriors come inside their sanctuary one by one, and she notices how handsome and royal his warriors look in their formal attire. Today's the day of the send-off, the last time she's going to see her warriors, and she plans to do it peacefully so that they can ascend back to their rightful worlds.

Once his 14 warriors have gathered in front of her throne, she stands and forms a circular pattern on the surface of the sanctuary's waters. It's big enough to fit one person inside it, and she opens the clouds above them to bathe it with sunlight. The circle glows bluish, and it slowly explodes into sparks that latches itself onto the boys' rings. They all look at it to see the accessories faintly glowing, and they look at Cosmos with eyes full of question.

"That power will send you all back to the world where you came from: Earth. As you remember, on the time your rings activated a portal inside your company trailer, Chan's ring was the first to act, and Seungcheol's was the last. This time, Seungcheol will go first, and it will follow the same order up to Chan." Cosmos glides down to her throne, "Any moment now, the world will slowly start to crumble from its core, signalling the end of this planet's life. Before you all go back to your world, if you want to say something, then you have the chance to say it."

Light slowly walks towards Cosmos' throne and stands beside it. He smiles at the others, and they all smile back at him, although their smiles are not really reaching that high. 

Seungcheol sighs and he walks towards Cosmos to give her a hug. He holds her tightly, and Cosmos is surprised at the gesture, but she responds and hugs the younger male back. Seungcheol also hugs Light tightly, and the older male pats him on his back. Seungcheol breaks away, and asks the two of them. "Will I remember anything when I get back to Earth?" 

Cosmos nods, and that makes Seungcheol smile as his ring lets out a glow that slowly becomes bigger. 

"Okay. Because I don't want to forget the memories I have from this world." The light swallows him, and he ascends to the skies.

* * *

Jeonghan knows that it's his turn, so he does the same thing Seungcheol did. He gave Cosmos and Light some tight hugs, but he added a kiss to their cheeks. When he faces Light and Cosmos to deliver his final message, he lets out a few tears. "Will we ever see you two again?"

Cosmos and Light both shake their heads, and Jeonghan covers his face as he sobs. His ring glows white, and his time is running out so he shouts his message loud and clear.

"Thank you for everything. I have so many regrets, but one thing I do not regret is meeting the two of you." The light swallows him, and through his tears, he opens his eyes and takes one last look at Light and Cosmos before he ascends to the skies.

* * *

Jisoo gives Cosmos and Light a quick hug so he can get on with his message. "I have so many things to say so I'm going to speak quickly. First of all, I came into this world believing this was heaven, and all my life I only believed in one God. Meeting you, Cosmos, changed all of that. I still believe in God, but now, I also believe in you. I offer my eternal gratitude to you for bringing Chan back to us, and for changing our lives completely. I will take all the lessons I learned in this world, and maintain it to honor your existences." Jisoo looks at Light, and his ring starts to glow.

"Thank you for everything, Light. You transformed all of us." He holds the man's hands, and his tears fall as he slowly feels the light encasing his body. "On second thought, maybe this is heaven. Because it had an angel like you." Light slowly feels the sensation of Jisoo's hand fading as he ascends.

* * *

On Junhui's turn, he immediately hugged the two and spoke. "You know, it's funny how I'd give almost anything to go back home when we first came here, and now that my moments in this world is slowly running out, I'm finding it hard to be happy. I want to go home, don't get me wrong, but I look at both of you and…" Junhui sucks in a deep breath. "I look at both of you and I find it hard to accept that after this, I'll be living in a world without the two of you."

His ring glows white, and it slowly envelopes him in light as he gets ready to go back home.

"This will be a great story to tell everyone back on Earth. I know no one back there would believe me, but that just makes it better, because that means I only share the same memories with these 12 idiots and the two of you." He fades from their view, and he ascends to the skies.

* * *

Soonyoung gave them hugs, and he sat on the floor beside Light, a few inches from Cosmos' throne. "It's such a shame for this beautiful world to die, but I guess that's why people say that beautiful flowers are always the first ones to get picked. Of course, if you were in a garden, you'd obviously pick the most beautiful flower, right?" 

Cosmos smiles at him. "That's a wise perspective."

Soonyoung looks up at the skies, and his ring slowly glows bright as it encases his body.

"I return to where I must, but Earth is not my home. When I'm with Seokmin, I am home. Wherever my members are, that's my home. Wherever my family is, that's my home." He looks at Cosmos and Light and he smiles as the bright energy from his ring ascends him to the stars.

"And the two of you have also become my home."

* * *

Wonwoo came to them and hugged them. He looks at Light and smiles. "Do you still have the necklace?"

Light smiles back and hums. "I am wearing it right now." He fishes it from inside his clothes and shows it to Wonwoo. "My relationship with everyone wasn't always pretty, but I've never taken it off since the night you gave it to me."

"That makes me happier than I thought it would." Wonwoo faces both of them as the light engulfs his body. "Out of all the times to be born, I'm happy that God put me in a time where I'm with a family I love, 12 precious people that I can't live without, and 2 strange persons that made everything in my life change. Thanks for the memories, and remember that I'll never forget."

He quickly wraps his arm around Light, but the gesture faded as quickly as it happened. Wonwoo gets swallowed by the light and he ascends to the stars.

Light felt something on his palm, and he opens it to see that Wonwoo left a beautiful ring for him. On it, the words _ I will love you even if we're worlds apart _ are engraved, and he feels tears pricking his eyes. But he suppresses it and stands tall. He looks up and whispers a thank you to Wonwoo.

* * *

Jihoon scratches his head and giggles as he looks towards the two. "I'm sorry but I'm not good with separation…u-um...hi?" He laughs, and the two smile at his antics. "I'm really sorry, it's just…uh…" Light could've been fooled that Jihoon was not sad but he can see the conflicting emotions on the smaller male's eyes. "Jihoon…" Light holds his hands, and the latter visibly shakes at the contact. "It's okay. You can do this."

At the sight of Light's smile, Jihoon breaks and hugs the older male. Based from the quiet sobs Jihoon is letting out, it was evident how hard this is for him. Cosmos goes towards them and lays a hand on Jihoon's back.

"I...I c-can't do thi…this…" Jihoon continues sobbing, and his members all coo at the purity of their hyung. However, they all step away, except for Light and Cosmos, as his ring starts glowing. He starts crying louder as he holds both Light and Cosmos near him.

"Thank...you...both…" He says through his sobs, and Light looks down to see that Jihoon was smiling, even though his face and nose were red from too much crying. He doesn't say anything more and just cries on Cosmos and Light's shoulder. The light slowly engulfs him, and his body fades to nothing, leaving the creases on Light's suit as the light shoots towards the skies.

* * *

Minutes after that, as Seokmin finished giving Cosmos and Light his hugs, the earth shook violently. It lasted for a few minutes, but thankfully nothing was damaged and no one was hurt. All of the members' rings lit up after the quaking, except for Chan's. Cosmos ushers the rest of the members to say their final words, but everyone was confused.

"Why is his ring not lighting up?" Hansol asked, panic slowly creeping inside him. The other members and Chan also started panicking, but Cosmos held out a hand at them and closed her eyes, seeking the light for answers. When she opens them, she also looks confused.

"The light is ushering you all to return to your worlds because this world is currently crumbling. It's only a matter of time before the disaster strikes the sanctuary. However, the light senses something from Chan, and it is buying him some time so that he can do it while he's here. The question is…what is it that you want to do, Chan?"

His other members pick up on the information, and they all share a knowing smile as they look at the youngest blushing and trying so hard not to smile. Their actions left Cosmos and Light more confused than ever. 

"Sweet, even the light is rooting for you." Seungkwan comically remarks, and Chan covers his face as he becomes redder. The others approached Light and Cosmos to bid them their farewells, with Seungkwan ranting how unfair it was for them to be cut off from saying their farewells, but they laughed it off.

Seokmin chimes in, "Most of what we're going to say was already said. We love them, thank them for everything they gave to us, and that we will never forget." 

Minghao holds everyone's hands, and they form a circle with the Cosmos and Light in the center. "We can still say our farewells now. But keep it short since my ring's already glowing too bright. Minnie hyung, you go first. Then, follow the age from Minnie hyung to Hansol."

They all nod, and they hold their hands tight.

Seokmin smiles, "I love you both! Thank you for giving me strength and inspiration! I'll use my voice to keep you both alive in our hearts!"

Mingyu follows. "I'm stronger and wiser because of you. A million offers of gratitude will never be enough to repay you both!" 

And then, Minghao. "Thanks and I love you is all I can ever say. I know it will never be enough but I will always honor you both."

Then, Seungkwan. "I've never been too fond of older men, but I will make an exception for you, Light. You've been a brother, father, and a friend to me. I'm thankful for this ring, Cosmos. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have met two of the greatest beings in the universe."

And finally, Hansol. "Time is ticking, and it kinda reminds me of all the times I should've said thank you. I don't speak much, but I was always looking for ways to say it. Now, I have the opportunity, thus, I say thanks."

The light swallows them all, and one by one, they ascend to the heavens. Before Mingyu could return to Earth, he smiled at Chan and said something that made his heart flutter.

_ Go get him, Chan. _

And just like that, Mingyu disappears into the light, and Chan was left alone with two of the most important people in his life. One who loved him dearly and one who sacrificed everything to revive him and have another chance at life.

The two people he'll soon leave behind.

He walks towards Cosmos first, and engulfs her in a massive hug. He spins Cosmos around, and the goddess makes a surprised yet delighted sound as Chan lifts her. "Thank you for giving me my life back. I know that I have accepted my death back then, and I would have gladly spent the rest of my life in the world beyond the living. But…I'm happy that I could have a second chance. I can set everything right with my hyungs, and… " Chan looks at Light and smiles. He presses his lips on Cosmos' cheeks and thanks her again before he walks towards Light.

The love of his life.

"Wonwoo gave you a ring, didn't he?"

Light looks at the ring on his hands with surprise, "Oh, you mean this?"

Chan smiled and snatched the ring from his hands. Before Light could say anything, Chan knelt to the ground, leaving Light and Cosmos in shock.

"Chan, what are you doing?! Stop wasting time!" Light ushers him to stand up but Chan gestures for him to stop.

"Light, you know that my 12 hyungs hold my heart, and I am glad to be theirs. But at the center of my heart….is you. I specifically requested Wonwoo hyung to make a ring for this special occasion." 

"Special?" Light stutters. "W-what…" 

"Yes, Light. Today is special." Chan smiles and raises his arms to offer the ring to Light. "Because I'm asking for you to be engaged with me."

Light's eyes start to fill with tears, and he heaves for air as sobs begin to come out from his mouth. He clenches his fists and hangs his head.

"Y-you...you know you're le…leaving...t-today...yet—" Light has cried before. He teared up a bit once in the past, when everything became too hard. He also cried when Chan died. But never like this. He has never cried so ugly in his life, where his snot is almost combined with his tears and sobbing so uncontrollably.

Not until now. Not until he met someone like Chan.

Chan rises from the ground in panic and holds Light close in a hug. He wipes his snot and tears with a handkerchief as he rubs circles on the man's back. "Shit, I'm sorry….I'm sorry. I just want to give you this before I leave. I didn't think about how much you'd be hurt, I'm so—" 

"Yes."

Chan looks Light in his tearful eyes and asks, "W-what?" 

"Yes. I will marry you. I'll give you countless reasons not to, but once you ask me, I will give you a million answers," Light cups Chan's cheeks. "and all of them will be yes." 

Chan breaks out into a big smile, and he was the one crying this time. His hands shake as he inserts the ring onto Light's finger. Once he was done, Light kisses him. This kiss was not like their others. It was passionate, hard, as if every longing in the world was poured onto their kiss.

Chan rests his forehead and shakily tries to catch his breathing after what Light did to his lips. He snuggles onto Light's warm body, and he thought of staying in this moment forever, together with Light. 

Then, his ring glowed.

Cosmos gasps. "The light…it allowed you some time to proclaim your love… " 

"Yes, Cosmos. And I give the light my thanks." Chan looks at his loved one and they both share a bittersweet smile.

"What the ring says is true. Even if galaxies and universes are what stands between me and you, my love will never die. I know I'm leaving you, but with that ring on your finger, I will always be by your side, Light. I will love you, as long as I draw every breath I take, as long as time permits me to live, I will always love you. My love will only end when the universe does." Chan holds Light's hands tightly as his ring glows brighter.

"I love you, Chan. No matter where I end up after this day, I will wait for you, until you come back right here in my arms. I love you more than anything in this world. I have never loved anyone like this before. You are my first, and you are surely my last."

The light grows brighter, and Chan looks at Light with his eyes full of pain, longing, heartbreak. A hundred scenes of their life as a married couple was rushing through his mind. They would settle down on a secluded suburb far from judgmental eyes, with Light making love to him every night. The other members would visit him and they will sleep in one room together. Hell, they might even adopt their own children, and he knows that his parents will love them and Light just as much as he does. 

But that will never happen now.

"I-I don't wanna go. I don't wanna leave you! Not again!" Chan promised himself that he wouldn't cry, that he'd be strong for Light. But as he looks at the latter, smiling at him, revering him as the loveliest person he ever laid his eyes upon, Chan couldn't help but spill his tears as he begs the light to save Cosmos and his loved one. 

_ Please. Just this once. I beg of you. _

"I love you." Light kisses him one more time and snakes his arms around Chan, giving him one last hug. 

"Please!"

"Goodbye, my love."

"Light, no!" 

Chan ascends to the stars. The light safely guides his body through space as he watches the planet explode from a safe distance.

* * *

"Shit!" Chan awoke to the sound of their manager, Younghwan, cursing in a sharp pitch along with the loud skidding of tires as their trailer stopped along the side of the road. "Fuck, that was close! Is everyone okay!?" 

Chan adjusted his eyes to his surroundings, and there was no mistaking it. He quickly sat up from his position on his seat and fiddled for his phone.

The phone's light attacked his eyes and he squinted it enough just to see the bright_ April 2020_plastered on his lock screen.

They were back in their vehicle, back during the time of their transportation to the sanctuary.

Time really stood still for them.

He looks around him to see that his hyungs were all wearing the same expressions of melancholy. They were all seeking each other's eyes, to seek reassurance that they were really back in their world. None of them knows how much time they spent in the foreign world, and now, they are back like nothing ever happened.

It was just like Cosmos and Light never even existed.

Chan suddenly felt a hole open up in his chest, and it's slowly filling him with unspeakable hurt. But he can't cry. Not right now.

They were all happy to be back, but too sad to celebrate it since they left Cosmos and Light to die along with their planet. 

They all look at each other, even Seungcheol who was beside Younghwan and far from them. Their manager was still on the verge of a panic, still grasping the reality that they almost died in an accident. 

While the 13 boys look at the night sky and send their prayers to the two people who changed their lives.

* * *

When they arrive at their dorm, there's still a bit of unfamiliarity with the 13 boys. They have spent too much time training their bodies to participate in a war that they are still coming to terms that they really are back on Earth, doing shits idols do. 

Younghwan noticed how weird the boys were acting. They were spacing out most of the time, half of his questions were being left unanswered, and even Seungcheol is unnervingly silent.

"Uh, everyone? Guys?" He called out to them while he was preparing to leave everyone. Usually, he'd sleep in the dorms, occasionally rooming with either Seungcheol or Dino. But the managers were being called to arrange the set for an early shoot of their Going Seventeen episodes.

The boys turned their head towards his direction. Younghwan can sense the uneasiness and this otherworldly strangeness emanating from the boys he's working for, and he assumes it's because of their hellish schedule.

But he also knows there's something else. And as a good manager, he knows not to pry on something too personal.

"I'm gonna go ahead. You know. Some manager stuff to do. But you all know that if there's something bothering you all, or if you'd just want to bitch about something in particular…I'm here, okay? I'm one call away. Or just 3 meters away from where you're all right now, technically speaking."

Younghwan visibly relaxes when the boys let out quiet huffs of laughter. Seungcheol stands up and takes short strides towards their manager and gives him a hug.

A hug that's much too tight than their usual.

"Thank you, hyung." Seungcheol exhales, his words mumbled on Younghwan's shoulders. "I...We really missed you." 

"Missed—what?" Younghwan silently questions, his face crumpling up with uncertainty.

"We really lucked out on having you." Seungcheol gives him one last pat on his shoulders before pulling away.

Younghwan is not stupid, he's the farthest thing from it. There's something Seungcheol's not telling him. Heck, he knows there's something that all of them are not telling him and he wants to know what it is.

But he also knows his limits. He doesn't want to push them all into confessing whatever's plaguing them.

So he forces up a smile, bids them goodbye, although reluctantly, and goes out towards the trailer to drive into the night.

Seungcheol stares at the door where Younghwan exited, and he stays rooted in that position until he feels a hand on his shoulders.

Jeonghan smiles beside him. "I think we should tell him. Maybe sometime, but definitely not tomorrow or the following days."

Seungcheol smiles back. "Yeah. He deserves to know the truth. We owe him that much."

Joshua joins them and slings an arm on his boyfriend's waist. "Let's just hope he believes us and doesn't admit us in the nearest asylum." 

* * *

Chan stares at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He takes his shirt off and takes one look at his body before he takes his eyes off of the mirror, unable to stare at his own skin without remembering Cosmos and…

God knows how much he misses him already.

He packs his thoughts away and disposes it in the furthest compartments of his mind. He takes all his clothes off, hangs them in the bathroom rack and opens the shower. He was about to step in when he noticed something peeking from his pants' back pocket. He doesn't know what it is but from where he stood, it looked like a paper. 

He inspects it on a closer distance and takes it out, but another object falls on the tiles.

A necklace.

While holding the paper on his right, he reaches for the necklace. He sharply inhales when he sees their group's symbol on the necklace.

He vividly remembers that night they sang at the campfire. 

Light had been blessed with a name and Wonwoo made him a necklace, so that when Light feels lonely, he can look at it and remember that there are 13 boys who care for him.

_ Light. _

_ His loved one. _

The sound of the shower's stream hitting the bathroom floor lull Chan back to reality, and he takes quick breaths to calm himself. His attention is brought back to this mysterious paper with Light's necklace. Why and how did it end up there? 

He opens the paper and finds a letter written on it.

> _ For my loved one, _
> 
> _ Dearest Chan, my bright morning star. You may be surprised to find this but if you are reading this, then you are probably back in Earth and I have unfortunately departed. But do not fret for I am one with the light, even in death. _
> 
> _ I am writing this to you as you all sleep. I know that this is our final night together, and tomorrow, you will all go back safe to your home world. I assure you, even though I'm dying along with this planet, I do not fear death. _
> 
> _ Because what I really fear is being away from you. _
> 
> _ I'm sure you would be holding the paper tightly right now if you are reading this, my love. I will tuck this letter within the suit that you'll wear for tomorrow. You have impeccable taste in clothing, love. But I am very much sure that you will knock my heart away from my chest once you stand wearing them. You will look heavenly. _
> 
> _ Trust me, I have never been more afraid of anything than to watch you disappear again. But at least, I can rest well, knowing that you are alive and well in the safety of your 12 hyungs and lovers. My only wish is for you to never be sad, because I can't bear to see you crying. _
> 
> _ I knew you were special since the day I met you. The way you stopped your hyungs from arguing and even persuading them all to join me and Cosmos in the war against Chaos. My love for you can't be expressed in this letter because it's more than what words can say. If I can kiss you right now, I would. If I could hug you, I would. If I can make love to you, I would. I will do all of those in a heartbeat. But we have to face reality. And in this reality of you reading this letter, we can only be together in fiction because you are standing there, far away from me, and I am already gone. _
> 
> _ I can't believe fate brought me the 13 of you. Believe me, I'd give anything I have just to live a life with everyone. But I can't be selfish. _
> 
> _ Always remember that I love you. Please tell your other members that I love them too, every single one of them. I miss you. _
> 
> _ I love you, Lee Chan. Always and forever, even if we're forever seperated by life and death, even if a million galaxies are what's between us, my love will never die. _
> 
> _ I love you, Lee Jungchan. _
> 
> _ Forever Yours, _
> 
> _ Light _

Chan's tears and sobs are frantic, uncontrolled, and his sadness is searing an incredible pain in his flesh.

Then, it seeps into his bones. 

And finally, into his heart.

Light is dead, and he's taken a part of Chan's soul along with him.

The young boy has never felt so suffocated and broken. This grief, pain-whatever it is-is making his legs tremble from weakness. He can't live like this, he wants to…

He wants to explode. 

So with shaky breaths and a broken voice, Chan lets out an anguished wail.

* * *

Hansol just got dressed in his casual clothes when Seungkwan hugs him from behind. He smiles at the loving gesture and he giggles softly when Seungkwan peppers his nape with chaste pecks. 

"I still can't believe we're back. I didn't even notice that we were gone for like, months because we came back in the same second we disappeared from Earth. Time really held out for us! That's weirdly sweet!"

Hansol laughs and he turns around to play with Seungkwan's cheeks. "You are the one being weirdly sweet, Kwannie. But you are right though. It's been months. I'm not one to keep track of time but I know for sure that we've been there for like, 4 months or less? Maybe more."

They both lie on their bed. It was a double-decker bed, but they chose to lie together on the bottom bunk, their limbs tangled. 

Seungkwan pouts his lips, wordlessly asking Hansol for a kiss. The younger male laughs but he obliges anyway. He leans in once, maybe twice, and he gives him a longer kiss the third time before Seungkwan laughs.

"Fuck, we're such saps!" Hansol smiles at him and they lie together for a few minutes, just silently enjoying each other's company.

Seungkwan asks him. "Cosmos said that we still have our powers, right?"

Hansol looks at him, "What are you planning?"

Seungkwan smirks. "Wanna train outside?"

Before Hansol can answer, they hear a loud scream from the room opposite from theirs. Only one person owns that room, so they look at each other with panicked expressions.

"Chan."

They get out of their beds and quickly run towards Chan's room. He screams again, and they knock on the bathroom door. "Chan? Channie baby what's wrong? Open the door please." Hansol tries twisting the knob but it's locked so he tries to knock again but Seungkwan stops him.

"Don't. You'll upset him even more, Nonie. I'll grab the keys from Seungcheol hyung, you stay here and talk to him okay? Just don't bombard him with too much questions, try comforting him in the softest voice you can muster." Seungkwan doesn't wait for his boyfriend to answer because he's out of the room in an instant and bolting down the stairs, where the others were preparing to go up.

"Seungkwan, we heard a scream what—"

"Keys, Cheol hyung. Chan's bathroom keys."

Seungcheol frowns, "Wait, why do—" 

"Hyung, not now please! I'm sorry but please give me the keys." Seungkwan is visibly panicking and his panic is rubbing off on Seungcheol and the others. The oldest runs to his room to fish the keys from his drawers, but he ends up going in the wrong room at least three times because of his panic and also because he has forgotten where his room is. Once he enters his room though, he quickly opens his wardrobe, where Younghwan keeps the dorm keys. He fetches the one where Chan's name is scribbled on the keychain and he almost teleports himself in Chan's room.

He gives the keys to Seungkwan and he quickly says, "Why? What happened?"

As Seungkwan puts every key to trial and error, Hansol answers the leader, "We suddenly heard him scream. We don't know why but we panicked." 

Seungcheol hums. "Do you want me to just teleport inside?"

They hear another strangled cry from Chan, increasing the tension and panic in the room.

Jihoon speaks, "Do it, Cheol. Please. Just open the door from the inside."

Seungcheol nods, and Seungkwan moves out of the door to make way for the older. Seungcheol reaches into the depths of his soul, to feel the slightest wave of his obsidian gem stone's energy and use its power. 

He feels the slightest spark of power, and he transforms it to a small, thin blade that he slips under the bathroom door. He closes his eyes and tracks the blade's presence, and he inhales sharply when he wills his body to replace its position.

Then, his body warps. He stumbles for a bit but he succeeds because his arm is touching the bathroom sink. He smiles for a bit, but Chan's heartbreaking sobs bring his mind back to the task at hand. He unlocks the door, turns the shower off, and quickly covers Chan's naked body with a bathrobe. He cradles the youngest's body near his, and he visibly relaxes when Chan responds by hugging him and clutching the fabric of his shirt. The younger male's sobs became muffled due to him burying his head on Seungcheol's chest. Instead of asking, he just held Chan closer and rubbed circles on his back and head while pressing kisses onto the boy's forehead.

"It's okay, Channie, we're here." Joshua knelt beside them and laid comforting touches on Chan's shoulders.

Mingyu pressed a kiss on Chan's head. "What's wrong, baby? You can tell us anything, okay?" 

Wonwoo laid a hand on Mingyu's shoulder. "Don't, Gyu. Let him cry it out before you ask him questions." Mingyu slightly pouted, but he understood why, so he nods. It earns him a kiss on the cheek though, before Wonwoo proceeded to comfort Chan.

Hansol noticed the letter and the necklace which were discarded on the bathroom floor. "Wait, what's this?"

Seungkwan noticed the necklace, "Th-that can't be. That's Light's necklace! Wonwoo hyung, you made this, right?!" 

Wonwoo stood up and examined the necklace on Hansol's hands. "Yes. But that's impossible! He told me earlier that he wore it! He was wearing it during the final ceremony!"

"....d-dead…"

Everyone went silent at the choked response Chan made. "L-Light is…d-dead…t-the letter…" Chan couldn't speak straight and just went to sob again, but they all understood him and Seungkwan snatched the paper from Hansol to read it. 

Minutes later and Seungkwan also became a sobbing mess. His cries caused Chan to slightly panic so Seungcheol carried him outside the bathroom and onto the bed and he had Hansol accompany Seungkwan to their room to calm him down.

The letter and necklace were both left lying on the bathroom tiles. No one dared to touch it, nor read whatever's in it. If Seungkwan and Chan reacted the way they did, then it would do them no good if they were to read it too.

* * *

Once Chan became too exhausted from crying, and had fallen asleep, they dressed him in comfortable clothes and they all gathered in Chan's room. They were too scared to leave Chan alone, especially in the torned state the letter left him.

Seungkwan has also calmed down, but his eyes and nose were too red from crying. Hansol didn't dare to ask him what's in the letter that made him cry in fear of setting Seungkwan off again.

But they all knew that they needed to face whatever's written in it, and why Light's necklace was in it.

"We need to read it." Wonwoo says. They all look to find him clutching the necklace tight. "I made this necklace for him. This was the only thing that Light can use to remember us, I don't understand why this is here. I think the letter may offer us some answers."

"He's dead. He wrote the letter before the final ceremony and hid it in Chan's clothes. Maybe he slipped the necklace at the last minute, before Chan was transported back home. But he's dead." Seungkwan replies, eyes looking far away. "Both him and Cosmos are. The planet exploded, it's impossible for them to live." 

"Wha—but they told us that they can't only go with us because they belonged there!" Mingyu's voice reflects the sad uncertainty that he was feeling.

"If you want to read the letter then go. But I don't want to hear it. Read it silently….please…." Seungkwan pleaded as he swiftly swatted the tears slipping from his eyes. Hansol comforted him but the older just urged him to go with the others and read the letter. 

* * *

It was not a beautiful sight.

His eyes fluttered open once he felt the soft surface where he lain, and he figured that he probably fainted from crying too much.

But waking up to the sounds of quiet sobbing, and seeing his hyungs comfort each other and wipe their tears? 

It wasn't a beautiful sight. 

"Why are you all c-crying?" Chan's voice let out a quiet croak amidst the sobbing and he sat up but his hyungs all surged onto him and showered him with hugs. They were all crying and touching him like he was about to die. 

His eyes drifted to the letter on the floor, and he knew that they probably read it.

_ So that's why they're all crying, huh? _

He felt two strong hands cupping his face and his eyes met Seungcheol's teary ones. "Channie, you poor soul. We're never going to leave you again, okay? I'm never going to leave you again."

"Baby? Baby, look at me." Wonwoo knelt beside him, sobbing on his arms. "Channie? I know you must be hurting so much right now. But we're here, okay? You have us forever, Chan. We're never going to leave you alone."

After he read that letter, he felt so alone. He felt very weak and vulnerable. Chan already dreamt of a life with Light, and how they would watch the sunset everyday before they retreated to each other's arms.

It still destroys him that he can never have that with Light, but as he looks at the 12 most important pieces of his soul, his loved ones…

He finally smiled. He can feel himself crying again, but this time, he's happy. Light wouldn't want him to live in misery for the rest of his life, Light would want him to be happy with his lovers, where he can smile and forget his problems.

Where he can cry, and where they can let them all cry to him.

No words were needed. Just one hug was what they all needed from Chan to make sure that their youngest was happy.

Seungkwan sobbed as he held Chan. "We love you so much."

"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you all. I'm going to be here for the rest of our lives." Chan gathered them all in his arms, and he finally let out a long, relieving breath as he cried. 

He is, indeed, home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh fuck, I'm so sorry for leaving you guys behind after all these months but I had a massive writer's block! I hope you guys are doing well amidst the quarantine! I didn't lie when I said that I wouldn't abandon this fanfic so here's an update! We're one chapter away from the epilogue so I thank everyone that stayed with me all this time!
> 
> Also, @DolansFanboy1, you have been a major boost to my motivation and inspiration for this fanfic! I love you and I hope you liked this update! Sorry for leaving you on hold for months 😞😞


End file.
